Bad Blogger

Oh my...I can't believe I haven't posted since the 7th!!! It's been pretty busy around here lately.....which is probably a good thing....takes my mind off DH being gone...well.....not really.....but it makes the time go a little faster at least.....so what have we been up to??....Britty auditioned for District chorus and made it of course( there wasn't much worry about that)but the exciting news was she had the Highest score for her section at her school....and the 2nd highest for her section out of all the schools.......that is pretty good and she was quite proud.....this means she also has a really good chance of making State later...then she had gymnastics tryouts and also made the team....she pretty much knew she would though, because he didn't have enough girls trying out to need to cut anyone....but she feels she's about as good as the rest of the girls, which is a BIG difference from when she was on the team two years ago.....back then, she also made it because there weren't enough girls to cut anyone, but at that time she wasn't that good.....and felt she really didn't contribute to team..she got to compete, but her scores were not added to the team scores....this year ..she'll actually be a full participant and her scores will count....this weekend her coach worked with her and made her a floor routine.....I think she's going to have a lot fun on the team this year........ the routine looks a little sloppy since she was only just learning it......she needs to tighten or refine the routine quite a bit.....there's also a little more to it....they are going to add more at the end...and the parts where she is just jogging across the mat are where they'll add tumbling passes....















This weekend was also a special one for her....it was Ring Dance( basically Junior Prom...but they get their class rings on this night as well...hence the name)......she went with her boyfriend...and 4 other friends.......they all looked soo adorable.....then they all came over to our house for the night afterward.....OH MY.....needless to say I got NO sleep....and was exhusted at church the next day........























































a couple of weeks ago we also went to Poor Clares .....Poor Clare's are a group of cloistered nuns that live just north of Williamsburg in their new monastary....each year we try to take a Pilgrimage to the Monestary with other Parish members..I really enjoy going..it's so peaceful...we join them for Vespers and for the Rosary....then we get to talk to one or two of the nuns.....because they are cloistered...they don't have much interaction with anyone outside the cloister.....they have a special room with a screen ...they stand on one side and we on the other......they live a life of simplicity and poverty and rely on the donations of others for their needs.....

Road Trip!!

Brittney had yesterday and today off from school.....so ......we decided to go on a "girls only" road Trip!!.....we drove up to Va Tech to see my other daughter Rachel......it was a pretty fun trip.....the drive was nice...it's very scenic during the second half of the trip...driving thru the Shenandoans..and with the foliage this time of year.....about 4 1/2 hours( I speed a little...LOL)....then we spent the day with Rachel....her boyfriend Joe ....her roomate Meghan....I took the girls shopping...we dragged poor Joe along...but luckily there were some video game stores to keep him occupied while we looked at shoes and jewelry and such.....then we all went to Dinner at Kabuki's, the Japenese restaurant right next door to our Hotel..and finished the evening at Cold Stone Creamery for IceCream.......this morning we are waiting for Rae to get out of classes and call us ...then we'll have lunch with her and Joe and possibly Meghan....and head back out......I want to get home in time to VOTE!!!

I'll post a few pics of our trip later when I get home...I forgot to take any yesterday once I got here( took a few while we were on the road...not sure how they turned out) so I'll try to get a few today before I leave....

Spent My Day at BeautiU(niversity)

About 2 months ago I signed on as a Beauticontrol Consultant...mostly to get great skincare products at a discount....when you sign up you get half your kit right away and then you get the second half when you attend "BeautiU" a special training session.....well today was the day...I almost blew it off....it started at 8:00am in Va Beach......and I REAAAAAALLY didn't want to get up this morning....and I really wasn't looking forward to the 'training" as I wasn't planning on actually 'selling" this stuff..LOL......but...you don't get the rest of your kit if you don't go so I dragged myself out of bed...and shlept over to the convention center for my BeautiU training......wow.......it was great!!! I got way more out of it then I expected and I'm thinking I might actually want to 'sell' the stuff after all.....

I came home and couldn't wait to finally use my SPA products.....I've had them for a while ...just never made the time to SPA myself........I've been using the regular skincare ....but not all the cool spa treatments....so tonight I treated myself to a little Self SPA.....oh it was heavenly!!!



I started by running a nice warm bath filled with the Theraputic Bath Minerals.....it looks like dull grey powder in the jar but when you throw it in the tub it turns the water a beautiful blue green color and makes the water super silky.....





then I lit some candles....and popped my SPA CD into a portable CD player.......nice soothing sounds and music.....I gather all my other products next to the tub and my fluffy towels..and a nice washcloth.....then I cleansed my face with my Facial Cleanser.....




I climbed into the tub of nice warm ..lightly fragranced water........the first thing I did was use Instant Manicure on my hands and then my feet...it has dead sea salts to exfoliate...and natural oils to moisturize..... then rinsed.....then I moistened my face and neck and spread the Warming Tea Tree Mask on my face and neck...oh did it feel wonderful....it warms up as you start to rub it in.........mmnnnnnnn ...left in on for a few minutes and wiped it off with my damp wash cloth....


Now onto Lip Apeel and Nourishing Eye pads....I started with the bottom half of my jar of Lip APeel....spread it on my lips.....and then placed 1/2 and eye pad on each eye...lay my head back and just relaxed.....for a good 10 minutes..... the lip Apeel is like a mask for you lips and sloughs away flakey lips...LOL




Next wiped off the lip Apeel and removed the eye pads....spread the balm from the top part of my Lip Apeel jar on my lips and soaked for a few more minutes....

it was all soooooooo relaxing.....it's been ages since I've treated myself to a nice leisurely bath.....



upon drying off I slathered Frozen Margarita Foot creme all over my feet and ankles and threw on a pair of comfy cotton socks....I'm still feeling the effects ..........then slathered Moisturizing Mineral Lotion all over.....put on my comfy PJ's and then finished my skincare routine... and finally finished with a slathering of Regeneration Extreme Repair Hand therapy.....





I feel like a QUEEN!! I have GOT to do this more often....my plan is to treat myself to a Self Spa every weekend....I realize I REALLY need to start taking better care of myself....that was actually one of the things I wanted to work on while hubby was deployed...taking the time to start taking care of myself.....I've got to be honest...I've been lazy the last few years and really have let myself go....not just the weight.....but my appearance as well...it's too easy to just shlepp around in sweats with messy hair and no makeup.....so one goal of this deployment is to take time everyweek for a major 'beauti" treatment......and to try to add small beauti habits to my daily routines....

Deployment Blues

I really shouldn't say blues....I'm feeling much better lately.....I still have my moments...but I think I've gotten past most of the 'blues".....One month down....6 more to go.....this first month went by pretty quickly.....hopefully the next 6 will as well....luckily the hubby has been able to call pretty often...so far he's called about once a week or so...although it's been a while since his last call....I have a feeling the phonecalls will be few and far between from now on.....the first few weeks they spent a lot of time in portcalls....he got to go to Rome( even if it was only for 4 hours) he went to the Vatican and got to see the Tomb of Pope John Paul....he also went to Pompeii...and to Cyprus......yeah rough life...LOL........it took all my strength to keep a smile on my face and be enthusiastic for his good fortune at being able to see these places.......maybe one day I'll get to see them too......On the Other hand I woudn't trade being stuck on that ship for anything!!...he says they are keeping him VERY busy....TOO busy...but that's probably a 'good' thing.....it will make the time go faster for him if he's kept too busy to think about it...

Secret Mail...of the best kind!!

Wednesday night when Britt and I got home from Mass(All Saints Day-Holy Day of
Obligation)..there was a strange box on our porch...what on earth is that? I asked.....hmmnnn.......why a package from my SP9 Pal..........and itwas fillled with this lovely goodness: there's a couple of New sock Yarns for me
to make some new socks...and .........














a bunch of sock scraps for my Deployment Blanket..... yippeee......so far I was able to add 4 more squares to my blanket!!!! Do you recognize the yarns SP9 pal??? the two large blocks are yours....the red one...the one next to the red one and the one below that one....I'm still a little behind......I'm working on a pair of socks now so I can use those scraps...hopefully there'll be enough left to make a small square....so far it looks like there probably will be.... I'm still interested in scraps ..if anyone would like to send me some...I guess they call this "yarn whoring"....


and here's the latest socks on the sticks:

Happy Halloween

Britt and Josh ready to go Trick or Treating......
our neighborhood is pretty good about letting the teens trick or treat.....as long as they bother to dress up and are respectful...











Here's our skeleton bride....we put her out every year...the kids love her...when you come near her she starts singing Billy Idol's White Wedding.......LOL

and Our JackOLaterns...I've gotten lazy the last couple of years and haven't felt like carving pumpkins....too messy...and not worth it anymore..LOL.....My neighbor even thought they were real....

Divvying up their loot...Britt always gives me her Twizzlers....she didn't get many this year....Not too many trick or treaters this year ...I have a ton of candy leftover.....good thing I bought the 'good' stuff..LOL

Britt's Concert Video

Back to Earth

Yeah...I kinda fell off the face of the Earth there for a while......been having a rough time of it with the Deployment.....the first week or so I was fine...but then it really sunk in how long it really will be and I miss him soo much.....I've been going thru a bit of a depressive cycle...feeling lonely....not sleeping well at night( I've always had a hard time sleeping when he's not here)feeling exhausted during the day because I'm not sleeping all night...not wanting to do anything or go anywhere.....but...I've got to snap out of it!!! I need to get back into my life.....there's soo much I wanted to accomplish while he's gone ...and I wont get any of it done moping around...


I have been busy though......last weekend I did a craft fair with two friends...I sold a whopping $33...woo hoo.....hey one friends didn't sell one thing.....and the other only sold $4...so I figure I was successful!! LOL....








and Last Sunday we had our annual Fall Fun Fest at church....this is our 3rd year and it went VERY well....This is a really fun event for us all.....everything for the families is free...the games ....the food..the fun....we even had a raffle for two brand new bikes...and that was free for the families as well...we hire a band....and we hire a guy who does pony rides.....we have a bunch of little carnival type games....the kids really have a great time...and the turnout this year was great...considering it was raining nearly the whole time....parents and children stayed...



.I think this is my favoriite event ...a lot of our
Catholic Parishoners and the Protestant Congregation( this event is done in conjunction with the protestant congregation at the chapel) volunteer their time and talents for this and it's great to have us all together doing something for the community....it's great for the families because they can come out with their kids and spend the day ....all for FREE....



on Thursday Britt had her first concert of the year.....they sounded great ...she was a little disappointed she didn't get a solo....it didn't help that her biggest rival got it instead......but she's already practicing for the next concert...one of the songs they'll be doing is Amy Grant's "Grown Up Christmas List" and there'll be a solo for that one ...I Have the Amy Grant Christmas CD so she's been listening and practicing it every night..so she can ace it and hopefully get the solo..... sorry the pic is blurry but there's Britt in the center...

and here she is with her boyfriend and one of her chorus friends....who also happens to be an ex boyfriend...LOL








and I've made some more progress on my Deployment Blanket....although progress is now stalled due to the fact i've run out of unique sock yarn....I'd hoped to have each aquare be a different yarn...but may have to resort to a few repeats....I do have a pair of socks on the needles now so once those are finished I can use that...I also have the green and purple lorna's laces to knit up ...once i do i can use that...and i got the rest of my SOS winnings .... a pastel colorway sock yarn...so i can knit that up and use it too.....I have gotten two offers to send me yarn scraps...so i look forward to receivign those soon......I's liek to amke a ntoehr shameless plug for leftover sock yarn scraps....if anyone out there would like to contribute to my Deployment Blanket..I'd greatly appreciate any donations....e-mail me at maggiikatz@aol.com for my addy.....

sock yarn temptation

My new organic alpaca from http://blondechickenboutique.com/ (part of my Most Socks Prize) has been eyeing me and calling my name for the last few days...I really wasn't planning to start any new socks as I have quite a few other projects I'm trying to work on...but once I finally finished the Lozenge socks I started last month....it put me in the mood to make more socks..LOL.....so I've started a pair with the organic alpaca...this is beautiful yarn...and the socks are knitting up really beautifully.....the pattern is Mati Hari from http://craftoholic.blogspot.com/2005/09/all-about-socks.html



then I started thinking I really would like some Halloween or Autumn type socks...so I went searching today for something of that nature in a sock yarn....and here is what I found...some Forever Jaquard in brown oranges and golds.......and then I saw the Lorna's Laces in purple and green and thought... those would make awesome witch socks...LOL....so I bought both!! and some doublepoint knitting needles in smaller sizes 1 and 0...the smallest I had so far was 2's

Another Day Another Square

Just finished todays square ....left over yarn from sock pair #2
http://itchin2stitch.blogspot.com/2006/06/pair-2.html

got a phone call from hubby today.....it was a blessing because I was feeling kindof low today, missing him....I thank God that we at least have the opportunity for phone calls and e-mails....











I also finally finished the pair of socks that I was frantically knitting the last night of the SOS .....I finally gave up around 11:30 that night realizing there was NO WAY I was going to finish over half a sock in 30 minutes.......once SOS was over O was sooo tired of knitting socks that I didn't pick them up again until today....they've been sitting on my chairside table guilting me for not finishing them.....I just couldn't take it anymore... I HAD to finish them.....LOL



The pattern is called Lozenge Gentlman's Sock from Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush....you can faintly see a diamond pattern?..I shortened it a bit making it an ankle sock.... this was probably the most difficult sock I've made so far.....it was hard keeping track of the pattern....I pretty proud of myself with this one...and I love the color....it will remind e of warmer sunnier days when the winter gets dreary....

Day 5 Square 5

I added todays square....you may recognize this yarn from
sock pair #13

you might also recognize the yarns
from pair #15
and Pair #8

the other two squares were done with scraps from socks I made before SOS and I never took pictures of them...

Mitered Blanket KAL

So I found this cool blog : http://www.shellykang.com/Blog/ ..Shelly over at The Heathen Houswife is making a mitered Blanket out of sock yarn scraps....People from all over the world have sent her scraps for her blanket..and she's started a KAL for it as well.....I got the idea for my blanket from her blog. and I've joined her KAL although I will be CAL mine instead...she's added me to her sidebar....Thank You Shelly!

I really liked the idea of making the blanket out of scrapyarns from people all over the country and all over the world even...how special would a blanket made of those yarns be? with each square having a special history...so I'm imploring all you sock knitters out there if you have any scraps to spare ..could you send me some for my blanket? just e-mail me for my snail mail addy....what I want is leftovers from a project you've finished......natural fibers ,preferably wool blends.. a description or picture of the item you made with the yarn would be a nice addition..I plan to post the name and/or blog of anyone who sends me yarn...just let me know what you do or do not want to me to post...

I'm calling this project The Deployment Blanket......I even have a few ideas to add to this project....I think maybe I'll have a few give aways for those who send yarn? I may even start a whole new blog just for the project? We'll see how it goes....wether I get any response or not...etc..etc..


Oh well...off to make today's square.....

Saturday!

What to do on a Saturday? Why, spend it at the Mall with your teenage daughter of course!!!... actually the LAST thing I want to do on a Saturday is go to the Mall.....it's teenage MADNESS, I tell ya.....much better to go there on a Tuesday morning or something...but....I'd promised the rugrat that I'd finally take her to get her Ring Dance dress....we found a really pretty one in Lilac...her favorite color

.... and it looked BEAUTIFUL on her..the Picture doesn't do it or her justice...the color is soo much more vibrant on her in person....and her skin just GLOWED next to the color! To be honest I wasn't that crazy about it on the hanger....it just seemed kinda blah....but.......when she tried it on ...OH MY...it just came to life and looked gorgeous!Now we just have to find shoes...LOL

After shopping we went over to Red Robin( our favorite) for a late lunch early dinner......when we lived in Washington State there was a Red Robin and we LOVED going there.....that was about 14 years ago......we missed it once we moved...and then a few years ago they built this one here in Virginia...we were thrilled!!




We almost didn't make it to the mall today because as some of you may have known...Southeast Virginia was kind of in the middle of a N'or Easter last night and todaay.....but it wasn't too bad ...just a ton of rain....we had to take an alternate route as the main road I take was flooded.....hopefully by tomorrow the little back road we take to church will be 'OK"....I have a feeling I'm going to have to take the LOOOONNNGGG way around though.....we'll have to get up extra early so we can get there on time..

This afternoon's Saturday Sky

and finally Surprise Mail!!! This package was in my mailbox today from Tennesee.....at first I could not figure out who it could be from...I'd received all my swap packages....it felt like 'yarn"....then I opened it and THIS is what it was.....DUH....my PRIZE for winning the Most Socks Contest for SOS!!!! Woo Hoo....

and I should be getting another package soon...the second half of

my prize....but just look at this gorgeous yarn goodness!! and these adorable knitting needles!

Socktoberfest!!!!

ok well.....Socktoberfest started On Sunday.. and this is what I'm working on.....it's a blanket I'm making with left over scraps of my sock yarn....I'm going to call it the 'deployment" blanket because it's my new project to keep me busy during DH's deployment..I plan to make a square for each day of DH's deployment.....It's going to be hard to keep myself to ONE square a day..LOL....so I'll probably work on more then one.... for a charity project...


Today is day 4 of the Deployment and as you can see I've made 4 squares.....

SP9 Questions Answered

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?

alpaca......any natural fibers....espeicaly wool blends...

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?

I really don't have any special way of storing them...I tend to keep my hooks in a mason jar...but I have hooks and needles all over the place..LOL

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?

I've been crocheting all my life.....I also learned to knit when I was a little girl but never really got into it until recently.....I've now been knitting actively for the last year or so.....I consider myself a beginner/intermediate knitter and an advanced crocheter

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?

I do but I haven't updated it in ages


5. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products, etc.)

lavender


6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?

love chocolates....and Jelly Bellys


7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?

I do a lot of crocheting....I'm interested in doing some altered art...I've tried my hand a spinning...it's going 'ok"....


8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)

I like female country music like faith hill....martina mcbride...etc....yes my computer ccan play MP3s....

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?

My favorite color at the time is aqua...although I like just about any colors



10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?

married for 23 years to my Navy husband.....we have 4 kids....mostly grown....our youngest is 16.....3 are still living at home ...one is away at college....we have two cats...

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?

i wear scarves and hats and gloves occasionally ...it doesn't get that cold here though...so they aren't needed too often..



12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?

lately socks....although I've started making an afghan with sock yarn....and will probably be spending a lot of time on that


13. What are you knitting right now?

as i menitoned above an afghan out of sock yarn....although I'm not knitting it i'm crocheting it..

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?

absolutely!!

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

I prefer straight...and I love bamboo


16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?

not yet


17. How old is your oldest UFO?

OMG I have no idea......I'm sure I've got something hanging around that's at least 10 years in the making .>LOL

18. What is your favorite holiday?


Halloween...I love all the dressing up and spooky stuff

19. Is there anything that you collect?

lately bluebirds......for the last few years I've been collecting the LeMax halloween and Christmas houses and accessories



20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on?

I tend to get the books and mags I want immediately ...I hate waiting.....as for yarn ...I don't have access to many good LYS....there are a few in the area but they are quite a drive so I don't get to them often...I'm really liking wool blend sock yarns these days...these days I'm making an afghan out of sock yarn and I want each square to be a different pattern yarn....so far I'm usisng the scraps from the socks I've already made....but will run out soon....

What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?



I don't have any subscriptions....I just buy them as soon as they come out...


21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?


not really


22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?


yes...i wear a size 8 1/2 shoe


When is your birthday? (mm/dd)

04/09

Starting On Christmas

I saw these really cute lacey angels on this blog: http://heklejenta.blogdrive.com/archive/18.html

I'm not sure if they are her own design or if she had a pattern for them....but I saved the picture and was able to make myself a charted diagram that seems pretty close...I initially was just going to make a few for myself..I like how she has them hanging in her window....

I usually make some kind of handmade ornaments or small project for the relatives each Christmas ...usually with an 'angel" theme... so this is what I've dedcided to make for the relatives this year....


It only took me about an hour to make her.....I still need to block and starch her....

Latest projects...

Here are the latest things I've been working...
the first is the blanket I made for hubby
for his deployment.....


















I'm going to be participating in a craft fair at my daughters High School and also at one of the other High School's in the area.....one of the items I'll be selling is these crocheted Mary Jane slippers...I had found a pattern online but it jsut wasn't working for me so I designed my own pair...and they are turning out cute.....I still need to weave in the ends and add the buttons but I have 4 pair made so far....made them all yesterday...

Kings Dominion Sunday

As I posted earlier we Spent Sunday at Kings Dominion an amusement park in Virginia.....it was a beautiful day.....not too hot, not too cold....just perfect..there was a slight threat of rain...but it dissipated by the time the park opened...we had such a blast ...many of our friends were there...and it was good to spend the day with such good friends...it was also a good way to spend the remaining time I had left with the hubby...

Here's Britt with her boyfriend Josh on the new ride....."the Italian Job" a Mini Coop...rollercoaster:

.
this is the 'men" going down the log flumes...

Bumper car madness:


Dancing with SpongeBob and Dora the Explorer

Britt and Josh with some of our friends

All Pooped out!!

7 Months to Go

Well...today was the day...I left my hubby at the pier this morning and wont see him again for at least 7 months.....we've been thru a few deployments but never one this long...I don't know, today was strange..it felt 'different"....I guess the thought that he's going to be gone for more than half a year makes it strange....at least this time it's an aircraft carrier...rather than a submarine.....we'll have e-mail and even snail mail( we had neither when he was on subs)..and maybe I'll even get a few phone calls....these next several months will probably be a little rough...we'll miss him....and I'll have to take care of things on my own....but ...I am also looking forward to having this time....to really sink my teeth into a few projects...