Next up: Grand Turk and back to Ft. Lauderdale!
Saturday, December 8, 2012
St. Thomas
I'm getting to these a little later than anticipated. I was downed from a migraine and then related recovery for most of Thursday and all day Friday. But I'm back to picture culling and editing and have officially made it through St. Thomas!
Next up: Grand Turk and back to Ft. Lauderdale!
Next up: Grand Turk and back to Ft. Lauderdale!
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Sint Maarten/Saint Martin
And I have officially gotten through the St. Martin pictures!
Hey, look! A boat!
Hey, look! A boat!
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Drip
Another tiny dribble of pics are done, these from our two days at sea.
One interesting thing: on our at sea days, we passed the same way (one day going south, one day going back north) and each time we hit a certain point, Google Navigation decided that we had transported to Europe.
One interesting thing: on our at sea days, we passed the same way (one day going south, one day going back north) and each time we hit a certain point, Google Navigation decided that we had transported to Europe.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Slowly But Surely
I'm gradually getting through my pictures! So far I've taken care of Days One and Two. The rest of the week should come soon. But until then, here's a tiny taste.
Leaving Ft. Lauderdale
Princess Cays, Eluethera, Bahamas
Princess Cays, Eluethera, Bahamas
Still Working On It...
I'm still slowly weeding through my cruise pictures. I've gone from 2097 pictures to 1549 to 757 in two passes. I still have a disproportionately large number of alligator and flamingo pictures though.
Until then, here's one picture I've gotten all straightened out. An HDR version of sunrise (yes, the one that comes in the morning) when we were coming back into Ft. Lauderdale.
Until then, here's one picture I've gotten all straightened out. An HDR version of sunrise (yes, the one that comes in the morning) when we were coming back into Ft. Lauderdale.
Monday, December 3, 2012
Updates Ahoy!
We're back! I'm not exactly the most diligent blogger, so you can be forgiven if you weren't aware we had gone anywhere, but we had! We have spent the last week cruising around the Caribbean!
It's going to take me a bit to go through all my pictures (there are over 2,000 of them, but I know that number will decrease greatly when I pick out just the good ones) so I'll probably be dribbling out picture (and blog) updates over the next several days.
But for now, the short version: Dan and I both got a tan (a much stronger one that anyone in the northern hemisphere deserves to have in December), ate lots of delicious foods and had a really great time!
More to come!
It's going to take me a bit to go through all my pictures (there are over 2,000 of them, but I know that number will decrease greatly when I pick out just the good ones) so I'll probably be dribbling out picture (and blog) updates over the next several days.
But for now, the short version: Dan and I both got a tan (a much stronger one that anyone in the northern hemisphere deserves to have in December), ate lots of delicious foods and had a really great time!
More to come!
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Orange Chocolate Part II
Many moons ago, I did a chocolate orange battle to help remind me what orange flavored chocolates I like best. Since then, I've picked up a few more orange chocolate bars but I've been saving them for a taste off instead of, you know, eating them. But it's time for that to change! I've begun the nibbling. So here's the round up:
Nice chocolate/cocoa flavor but edging more towards a dry, powdery texture than creamy and rich. I'm willing to blame some that on this chocolate being old because it is only a few months before the "Best By" date. The orange flavor is light and sweet, more tangelo than "true" orange. Quite tasty though I do wish the chocolate felt a little creamier. And the orange flavor a bit stronger. The orange only comes in strong when I take a bite and munch on the chocolate for a while. My preferred way of eating chocolate - sucking on a corner until it melts - results in only mild flavor. Using teeth on chocolate makes me feel wasteful, so I'm a bit disappointed that's the only way the strong orange note comes through. Even with those quibbles, it is nice just not wow-ing. I would eat it again but I think I'd go for the Lindt version instead of this one in the future.
Technically I'm two weeks past this chocolate's "best by" date. Oops. Must have been one of the ones I got on our vacation last year. So, grain of salt with this review, I suppose.
Yes, this is officially dark chocolate. I can taste the earthy notes (my dad always says it tastes like dirt, but I think it is good dirt) of the cocoa. It has a nice creamy texture when I let it melt a bit in my mouth. There are aspects that make me think it could edge towards powdery but it doesn't get there, so I really just read it as a rather dark chocolate. Chocolate-wise, it tastes pretty similar to the Theo, but creamier. Orange-wise, though, this one tastes a bit stronger. The orange taste comes in mostly on the end and aftertaste but it's nice - reminds me of the whack-and-unwrap chocolate oranges, but with a tiny little bite of zest on the end.
Overall, not knock-my-socks off, but tastier than the Theo and totally worth buying again.
This is not orange chocolate. This is a very nice, rich, creamy, dark chocolate with little hard pebbles of slightly chewy (but potentially rock-hard) crumbles of what is supposed to be candied orange peel or something similar. However, those little pebble of orange rocks are not very flavorful and the taste of orange is nowhere else in this chocolate. (The occasional one has a nice chewy texture and a good candied orange flavor, but those yummy little orange bits are outnumber at least three-to-one by the hard and flavorless supposedly orange bits.)
The chocolate itself is delicious and I quite like it, but I would never by this particular bar again (as I value my teeth too much to risk mostly flavorless orange rocks) but I would buy this chocolate in a plain format. However, for the purposes of this comparison, this chocolate is a big fat fail.
I was pretty excited to see this one in the store. Manjari is my all time favorite chocolate so Manjari and orange? Sign me up! I'm not 100% sure the ingredients are safe for me, but hey, if I have a reaction, I'll know.
Overall, I think this is delicious but a bit of overkill. The taste of the Manjari alone is so fruity and tangy and fantastic, that mixing it with the orange flavor is both unnecessary and it kind of ends up almost lost in the wonder that is the chocolate. But there are these lovely little nuggets of super-orange hiding in the chocolate and oh, how I do enjoy happening upon those! That's when the orange flavor really pops above the fruity notes of the chocolate and really comes into it's own. It's like candied orange peel. Delicious, but I think I'll continue to take my Manjari straight.
Okay, this isn't dark chocolate, but it is blood orange. I had to try it.
It's good - the chocolate tastes darker than a measly 42%. The blood orange flavor isn't too strong or overwhelming... it's noticeable but doesn't necessarily scream blood orange. Rather nice, but honestly, it simply reminds me of the plain Manjari. Which is a good thing to be compared to but if it comes down between a flavored chocolate and a plain chocolate that tastes just as fruity but is darker, richer and smoother? Yeah, you can guess which I'll go with.
And that's it! I think between this and my previous post, I've investigated all of the orange chocolates I can find that are safe for me to eat. Huzzah! Overall, I don't think they make my perfect orange chocolate bar (or if they do, it's got ingredients in it that I must avoid). I think the Lindt and Equal Exchange are definitely worth having around regularly and I'll probably go overboard and get some Manjari Orange for those days I want to OD on sweet. Of course, I'll continue to keep an eye out for more delicious orange-ness!
Nice chocolate/cocoa flavor but edging more towards a dry, powdery texture than creamy and rich. I'm willing to blame some that on this chocolate being old because it is only a few months before the "Best By" date. The orange flavor is light and sweet, more tangelo than "true" orange. Quite tasty though I do wish the chocolate felt a little creamier. And the orange flavor a bit stronger. The orange only comes in strong when I take a bite and munch on the chocolate for a while. My preferred way of eating chocolate - sucking on a corner until it melts - results in only mild flavor. Using teeth on chocolate makes me feel wasteful, so I'm a bit disappointed that's the only way the strong orange note comes through. Even with those quibbles, it is nice just not wow-ing. I would eat it again but I think I'd go for the Lindt version instead of this one in the future.
Technically I'm two weeks past this chocolate's "best by" date. Oops. Must have been one of the ones I got on our vacation last year. So, grain of salt with this review, I suppose.
Yes, this is officially dark chocolate. I can taste the earthy notes (my dad always says it tastes like dirt, but I think it is good dirt) of the cocoa. It has a nice creamy texture when I let it melt a bit in my mouth. There are aspects that make me think it could edge towards powdery but it doesn't get there, so I really just read it as a rather dark chocolate. Chocolate-wise, it tastes pretty similar to the Theo, but creamier. Orange-wise, though, this one tastes a bit stronger. The orange taste comes in mostly on the end and aftertaste but it's nice - reminds me of the whack-and-unwrap chocolate oranges, but with a tiny little bite of zest on the end.
Overall, not knock-my-socks off, but tastier than the Theo and totally worth buying again.
This is not orange chocolate. This is a very nice, rich, creamy, dark chocolate with little hard pebbles of slightly chewy (but potentially rock-hard) crumbles of what is supposed to be candied orange peel or something similar. However, those little pebble of orange rocks are not very flavorful and the taste of orange is nowhere else in this chocolate. (The occasional one has a nice chewy texture and a good candied orange flavor, but those yummy little orange bits are outnumber at least three-to-one by the hard and flavorless supposedly orange bits.)
The chocolate itself is delicious and I quite like it, but I would never by this particular bar again (as I value my teeth too much to risk mostly flavorless orange rocks) but I would buy this chocolate in a plain format. However, for the purposes of this comparison, this chocolate is a big fat fail.
I was pretty excited to see this one in the store. Manjari is my all time favorite chocolate so Manjari and orange? Sign me up! I'm not 100% sure the ingredients are safe for me, but hey, if I have a reaction, I'll know.
Overall, I think this is delicious but a bit of overkill. The taste of the Manjari alone is so fruity and tangy and fantastic, that mixing it with the orange flavor is both unnecessary and it kind of ends up almost lost in the wonder that is the chocolate. But there are these lovely little nuggets of super-orange hiding in the chocolate and oh, how I do enjoy happening upon those! That's when the orange flavor really pops above the fruity notes of the chocolate and really comes into it's own. It's like candied orange peel. Delicious, but I think I'll continue to take my Manjari straight.
Okay, this isn't dark chocolate, but it is blood orange. I had to try it.
It's good - the chocolate tastes darker than a measly 42%. The blood orange flavor isn't too strong or overwhelming... it's noticeable but doesn't necessarily scream blood orange. Rather nice, but honestly, it simply reminds me of the plain Manjari. Which is a good thing to be compared to but if it comes down between a flavored chocolate and a plain chocolate that tastes just as fruity but is darker, richer and smoother? Yeah, you can guess which I'll go with.
And that's it! I think between this and my previous post, I've investigated all of the orange chocolates I can find that are safe for me to eat. Huzzah! Overall, I don't think they make my perfect orange chocolate bar (or if they do, it's got ingredients in it that I must avoid). I think the Lindt and Equal Exchange are definitely worth having around regularly and I'll probably go overboard and get some Manjari Orange for those days I want to OD on sweet. Of course, I'll continue to keep an eye out for more delicious orange-ness!
Monday, November 19, 2012
The Breadmaker is Sweaty
Yes, we currently have a sweaty breadmaker. But wait, we don't own a bread machine. That means I'm the sweaty one. (The lack of a bread machine is due to the fact that you aren't supposed to make gluten-free bread in a machine that has ever had wheat gluten bread in it... Not that I yet make gluten-free bread, but I like to have the option in case I want to feed it to my mom.)
I'm learning to bake bread. I've done a specialty bread before and I've done lots of beer bread, but currently I'm attempting to learn how to make plain white bread. Today is my second go. The first one... Well, it resulted in bread, but it was a bit dense since I had massively underkneaded it. Mind you, it was still tasty and we ate all of it, but I'd still like to do it properly. Which has resulted in tons and tons of kneading today. It's exhausting and very warm work. I had to turn the air conditioning on.
Technically, according to the window pane test for bread, today's bread is also a tad underkneaded but it is a ton better than my first go and I felt like my arms were going to fall off and I got much too overheated. So I called it good. And it was.
And deliciously. Seriously delicious. Like, we-had-some-for-dessert delicious.
(Hopefully, those won't go down as famous last words!)
I'm learning to bake bread. I've done a specialty bread before and I've done lots of beer bread, but currently I'm attempting to learn how to make plain white bread. Today is my second go. The first one... Well, it resulted in bread, but it was a bit dense since I had massively underkneaded it. Mind you, it was still tasty and we ate all of it, but I'd still like to do it properly. Which has resulted in tons and tons of kneading today. It's exhausting and very warm work. I had to turn the air conditioning on.
Technically, according to the window pane test for bread, today's bread is also a tad underkneaded but it is a ton better than my first go and I felt like my arms were going to fall off and I got much too overheated. So I called it good. And it was.
And deliciously. Seriously delicious. Like, we-had-some-for-dessert delicious.
(Hopefully, those won't go down as famous last words!)
Overflowing with Kitties
Now that the weather has gotten colder (though I can still count on one finger the number of times the heat has come on), each night our bed ends up with an extra blanket on it - one made entirely of kitty. We've had up to five kitties on the bed at once and, let me tell you, it's really hard to move when the covers are stapled down in five places by weights that seem to get heavier the more I want to turn over. Sam is the only one that hasn't joined the group but I'm not sure if it's because he's fat enough that he's not as cold as the others, is afraid of being eaten by Happy or just doesn't think there's room (which doesn't stop any of the others, but maybe Sam is more polite.)
Of course, outside we've been running into kitty as well. Our neighbors on either side both have cats, but one neighbor's cats are rather skittish and stand-offish. The other neighbor, though, has possibly the sweetest cat in the world that doesn't already live with us.
Of course, outside we've been running into kitty as well. Our neighbors on either side both have cats, but one neighbor's cats are rather skittish and stand-offish. The other neighbor, though, has possibly the sweetest cat in the world that doesn't already live with us.
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Poke
It's been two weeks since my last post so I figured it was about time to post an update. Not much is going on but here's a little overview.
Gidget is off her medication but still experiencing some pain. Nothing as bad as before - she's now chewing air instead of violently pawing - so I'm hopeful it is just the remodeling suggested by the dentist. We have a dentist appointment tomorrow and shall see what she says. All of the other kitties are doing fine. They are much more cuddly now, especially at night, since it is no longer 100°+ outside.
Speaking of the weather, things have finally started to get cold. We switched over to the heat yesterday. It didn't actually come on during the day, but it might have snuck on in the night. Maybe. Things haven't gotten down to freezing yet outside, though, so my Romas are still putting off tons of tomatoes. Now if I would only water them...
My shoulder is doing good. I have some days that are perfectly normal but then I overdo it by attempting something like ironing and I have a few sore days. But I scrubbed the shower the other day with only some slight twanging the next day, and then only when I reached cross-body. I was doing some easy yoga regularly but fell out of that with the post-ironing pain. I need to get back to it - the movements have really helped me get my range of motion back.
I'm knitting on a cardigan sweater and having mixed luck. I ripped out about 5" of work because I wasn't liking how it was turning out. I initially had ribbing at the bottom and front bands, but I didn't like the proportions - the bottom band was so much smaller than the larger front band, which was pulling in (I figure I hadn't picked up enough stitches). So I ripped out the bottom band ribbing and am in the process of replacing it with a simple folded hem. Then I'll re-do the button band ribbing but in 4/1 or 5/1 rib instead of 2/2 rib. I think that will take care of the problem of the ribbing pulling in too much. Additionally, I'll be doing an i-cord edging (which will be on the bottom edges of the front bands) to make it neater than the wrapped edge I was doing before. All that (combined with picking up enough stitches on the front) and I should be a lot happier with it. Add to that, the fit is perfect and I greatly enjoy the color mix of the yarn, so yay!
And in the way it goes with all my larger knitting project, I briefly interrupted it to knit a little project, a little Christmas star.
All this knitting though, and I must admit: I'm kind of itching to crochet a doily. Or knit a lavender-filled moth. Or, oh yeah, finish my sweater!
Oh, and I almost forgot! One of my New Year's resolutions was to try more tea vendors. I've successfully ordered from two of the three new vendors I mentioned back in January (TeaSpring (which I posted about) and American Tea Room (which I forgot to post about)) with Sugimoto being the odd man out. Well, I'm making an executive decision and calling this goal accomplished. The other week, I ordered from new-to-me vendor Verdant Tea specifically to get some of their divine-and-destinted-to-be-a-favorite Laoshan Black. Next year Sugimoto will still be a new-to-me vendor so maybe we can try again.
Of course, as far as other resolutions go, I'm oh so very behind on my 'read 24 "real" books' goal and am stuck on number eighteen. One behind where I ended up last year and I have a month and a half to at least tie. So I'm adjusting my goal to 'read more "real" books than I did last year'.
And I think I've exhausted every possible news topic. Well, other than Dan but nothing new there - he's working. A lot. Oh, he did make me an orange-honey wheat beer that's pretty fantastic. And he did another pumpkin beer which is practically pie in a cup. So the brewing is still going strong. We have bottle-conditioning beer in about half our closets.
So that's it, that's the news here. A gripping page turner, is it not? But all in all, it's doing pretty good, I think!
Gidget is off her medication but still experiencing some pain. Nothing as bad as before - she's now chewing air instead of violently pawing - so I'm hopeful it is just the remodeling suggested by the dentist. We have a dentist appointment tomorrow and shall see what she says. All of the other kitties are doing fine. They are much more cuddly now, especially at night, since it is no longer 100°+ outside.
Speaking of the weather, things have finally started to get cold. We switched over to the heat yesterday. It didn't actually come on during the day, but it might have snuck on in the night. Maybe. Things haven't gotten down to freezing yet outside, though, so my Romas are still putting off tons of tomatoes. Now if I would only water them...
My shoulder is doing good. I have some days that are perfectly normal but then I overdo it by attempting something like ironing and I have a few sore days. But I scrubbed the shower the other day with only some slight twanging the next day, and then only when I reached cross-body. I was doing some easy yoga regularly but fell out of that with the post-ironing pain. I need to get back to it - the movements have really helped me get my range of motion back.
I'm knitting on a cardigan sweater and having mixed luck. I ripped out about 5" of work because I wasn't liking how it was turning out. I initially had ribbing at the bottom and front bands, but I didn't like the proportions - the bottom band was so much smaller than the larger front band, which was pulling in (I figure I hadn't picked up enough stitches). So I ripped out the bottom band ribbing and am in the process of replacing it with a simple folded hem. Then I'll re-do the button band ribbing but in 4/1 or 5/1 rib instead of 2/2 rib. I think that will take care of the problem of the ribbing pulling in too much. Additionally, I'll be doing an i-cord edging (which will be on the bottom edges of the front bands) to make it neater than the wrapped edge I was doing before. All that (combined with picking up enough stitches on the front) and I should be a lot happier with it. Add to that, the fit is perfect and I greatly enjoy the color mix of the yarn, so yay!
And in the way it goes with all my larger knitting project, I briefly interrupted it to knit a little project, a little Christmas star.
All this knitting though, and I must admit: I'm kind of itching to crochet a doily. Or knit a lavender-filled moth. Or, oh yeah, finish my sweater!
Oh, and I almost forgot! One of my New Year's resolutions was to try more tea vendors. I've successfully ordered from two of the three new vendors I mentioned back in January (TeaSpring (which I posted about) and American Tea Room (which I forgot to post about)) with Sugimoto being the odd man out. Well, I'm making an executive decision and calling this goal accomplished. The other week, I ordered from new-to-me vendor Verdant Tea specifically to get some of their divine-and-destinted-to-be-a-favorite Laoshan Black. Next year Sugimoto will still be a new-to-me vendor so maybe we can try again.
Of course, as far as other resolutions go, I'm oh so very behind on my 'read 24 "real" books' goal and am stuck on number eighteen. One behind where I ended up last year and I have a month and a half to at least tie. So I'm adjusting my goal to 'read more "real" books than I did last year'.
And I think I've exhausted every possible news topic. Well, other than Dan but nothing new there - he's working. A lot. Oh, he did make me an orange-honey wheat beer that's pretty fantastic. And he did another pumpkin beer which is practically pie in a cup. So the brewing is still going strong. We have bottle-conditioning beer in about half our closets.
So that's it, that's the news here. A gripping page turner, is it not? But all in all, it's doing pretty good, I think!
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Friday, October 26, 2012
The Vileness That Wasn't
I had been planning that I'd next post about a cardigan sweater that I'm knitting (cause it's so nifty!), but I've had a bit of a hiccup. Or cough, really. Yes, in the grand tradition of Fall, I have managed to develop bronchitis.
But I'm really fighting back this time. I'm doing all my normal bronchitis stuff, but I've added in Oil of Oregano (horrid, but it seems like it helps me breathe for a few hours after I take it), eucalyptus essential oil (the inhalation of which also helps me breathe) and a concoction that I have dubbed The Tea of Vileness.
Though honestly, it isn't really that bad. It smells a bit like mulled cider and tastes a bit like it too, but with a strong oregano-ish note added in. Of course, it isn't actually good, but I was expecting it to be vile so I'm pleasantly surprised. Mind you, it does look a bit like I've scooped up a cupful of muddy swamp (it even settles to help bring back those childhood memories of camping at Kerr lake, though there's no sparkle in the mud of my tea), but it's not like it has to be chewed or anything.
More importantly though, it seems to help with my bronchitis symptoms, so that pleases me. Maybe I'll get over this thing before next spring!
But I'm really fighting back this time. I'm doing all my normal bronchitis stuff, but I've added in Oil of Oregano (horrid, but it seems like it helps me breathe for a few hours after I take it), eucalyptus essential oil (the inhalation of which also helps me breathe) and a concoction that I have dubbed The Tea of Vileness.
Ingredients:
½ teaspoon ginger
a pinch of ground cloves
a pinch of cinnamon
½ teaspoon savory
¼ to ½ teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon honey
Steep it in a cup of boiling water for five minutes and ta-da! You have your own personal cup of lake water!
Though honestly, it isn't really that bad. It smells a bit like mulled cider and tastes a bit like it too, but with a strong oregano-ish note added in. Of course, it isn't actually good, but I was expecting it to be vile so I'm pleasantly surprised. Mind you, it does look a bit like I've scooped up a cupful of muddy swamp (it even settles to help bring back those childhood memories of camping at Kerr lake, though there's no sparkle in the mud of my tea), but it's not like it has to be chewed or anything.
More importantly though, it seems to help with my bronchitis symptoms, so that pleases me. Maybe I'll get over this thing before next spring!
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Good News, Bad News
Some mixed news on the health front lately. First, the good news: I've finally found an herbal anti-inflamatory that works really well! I haven't found a corn-free OTC NSAID, so what should be my biggest help in the fight against bursitis has been something I've not been able to utilize. But last week, I got some boswellia serrata and curcumin (turmeric extract) and the change has been massive! Six days after I started taking them and suddenly I could move my shoulder with almost no pain! Today, day nine, I have no pain and only a slight bit of weakness and tightness. It's kind of amazing!
I'm still being really cautious because I've re-injured myself way too many times so I'm a bit nervous, but I'm really hopeful that I'm well on my way to normal shoulder use! Yay! This is especially good because the week before last, I had to break out the sling again. Boo! But the sling-needing made me search for more alternatives to NSAIDs, which resulted in the boswellia and turmeric, so I suppose the sling wasn't all bad.
Something that is kind of bad, though: Gidget is still having mouth-pawing issues. We went back to the doctor again on Thursday and got a prescription for amitriptyline. The dentist said something about using it to reset her pain pathways. It will take a couple of days to see the full effect, but already she seems willing to spend a bit longer at the food bowl than before and that's usually a good indicator of pain level so I'm hopeful.
We had to get the medicine compounded since it is a small dose but that small dose comes in big capsules. I've been putting them in the much-loved Pill Pockets and that's working so far. Gidget has to chew it some which breaks open the capsule in the treat so there is some drooling and icky kitty faces involved in taking the meds, but so far she hasn't wised up that Pill Pocket = bitterness and drooling and she keeps eagerly eating them. Perhaps she only remembers the math of Pill Pocket = yummy salmon.
Other bad health news: Dan's gout is flaring again. If it wasn't so obviously painful for him, I might find it funny that someone so young, normal-weighted and relatively healthy had "the disease of kings", but the poor guy can barely walk when it is this bad so instead I am just sad. Apparently it is genetic and runs in his family. His outbreaks don't seem to be diet related - we don't much of the typical gout-causing food at all - except potentially beer, and even that he doesn't drink to a level that could be considered indulgence, much less overindulgence.
He's doing all sorts of stuff that have helped in the past plus added in the boswellia serrata and curcumin (since they are supposed to be good for inflammation and arthritis, both headings which gout falls under) so fingers crossed he's better soon.
Ironically, it seems that I'm currently the healthiest one in the house right now. That's fairly shocking.
I'm still being really cautious because I've re-injured myself way too many times so I'm a bit nervous, but I'm really hopeful that I'm well on my way to normal shoulder use! Yay! This is especially good because the week before last, I had to break out the sling again. Boo! But the sling-needing made me search for more alternatives to NSAIDs, which resulted in the boswellia and turmeric, so I suppose the sling wasn't all bad.
Something that is kind of bad, though: Gidget is still having mouth-pawing issues. We went back to the doctor again on Thursday and got a prescription for amitriptyline. The dentist said something about using it to reset her pain pathways. It will take a couple of days to see the full effect, but already she seems willing to spend a bit longer at the food bowl than before and that's usually a good indicator of pain level so I'm hopeful.
We had to get the medicine compounded since it is a small dose but that small dose comes in big capsules. I've been putting them in the much-loved Pill Pockets and that's working so far. Gidget has to chew it some which breaks open the capsule in the treat so there is some drooling and icky kitty faces involved in taking the meds, but so far she hasn't wised up that Pill Pocket = bitterness and drooling and she keeps eagerly eating them. Perhaps she only remembers the math of Pill Pocket = yummy salmon.
Other bad health news: Dan's gout is flaring again. If it wasn't so obviously painful for him, I might find it funny that someone so young, normal-weighted and relatively healthy had "the disease of kings", but the poor guy can barely walk when it is this bad so instead I am just sad. Apparently it is genetic and runs in his family. His outbreaks don't seem to be diet related - we don't much of the typical gout-causing food at all - except potentially beer, and even that he doesn't drink to a level that could be considered indulgence, much less overindulgence.
He's doing all sorts of stuff that have helped in the past plus added in the boswellia serrata and curcumin (since they are supposed to be good for inflammation and arthritis, both headings which gout falls under) so fingers crossed he's better soon.
Ironically, it seems that I'm currently the healthiest one in the house right now. That's fairly shocking.
Monday, October 1, 2012
Surprise! No Dental News! (Well, Okay. A Little.)
I thought I'd do an update-y type post and lump together some recent happenings that aren't awesome enough to get their own blog post.
First off, remember that whole crunched by a semi thing from January? Well, last month we finally got everything settled with the insurance company. The car had already been fixed (that happened pretty rapidly) but it took a while before all the medical visits were done. Now, though, everything is all signed off on and we got a check covering the medial-related things and a little bit extra. And that little bit extra leads to the next bit of news.
We got a new mattress! We've needed a new one for a bit now - our old one was about eight years old and did no favors to my back (or Dan's neck). But with us being on budgetary lockdown this year to save a nice chunk of change, we weren't quite sure how we'd swing a new mattress anytime soon. So yay for semi-trucks, I suppose? Anyway, we got a Stearns & Foster mattress, which are supposed to be quite the thing (though I had never heard of them, but then, I don't follow mattress fashion) and, naturally, we got it at Costco. It's so fantastic. It's soft and comfy but has fantastic support. My back is so much happier now! (It's this one if you happen to be shopping for a new mattress.)
In other news (warning: here's the dental news), Gidget seems to be doing well. She's on pain meds and is camped out in our guest bathroom where she has constant access to canned food. (We'd let her leave if she wanted, but I think the rest of the house pales in comparison to the food access.) We have a check up in a month so hopefully nothing pops up that we need to make an earlier appointment.
Speaking of kitties, Sam is still doing awesome on his anti-depressant. He's now acting like a real kitty - even purring when pet sometimes! That's pretty big news from him because he could get skittish easily when getting attention. Now we just need to work on getting him below sixteen pounds. (The weight loss challenge has hit a bit of a snag as no one is losing weight anymore!)
A bit of a knitting update: I almost missed it but I realized last week that September was my one year knitting anniversary! Yep, as of a few days ago, I've been knitting for a year now! And coinciding with that anniversary, I made probably my most challenging item to date: slippers!
The pattern is from a book called Knitting Scandinavian Slippers and Socks
and it's nice in that it has lots of pretty pictures that show how to do twined knitting, step-by-step. That's awesome and helpful. But the way the book is laid out meant I had to flip back and forth from the pattern I was working on to the basic slipper pattern, back to my pattern, over to the stitch explanations, back to my pattern... and in all that flipping (particularly when going to the basic slipper pattern that is spread over pages and pages because of the step-by-step pictures), I missed some details here and there. Which meant picking up the stitches and making the cuff on these puppies? A lot harder than they should be. Ah well, I'll just count it as a learning experience - learning the right way to do it and learning how to fudge things enough that the wrong way doesn't look wrong!
Anyway, they are a bit loose (though I knew that when I decided to make them since they are for a women's 9/10 and I'm not) but they are super toasty and fit remarkably like a pair of bootie slippers Dan has that I always steal from him. And it seems that the fact that they are 100% wool help my feet not get sweaty. (I know you wanted to know that last bit.)
Of course, finishing off that project meant it was time to start a new one. So what's next? I'm making a sweater! Squee! It's a cardigan actually. I just cast on for it the day before yesterday and currently have something not at all resembling a sweater. It's more like a small belt or something. But that's okay because I knew it will become sweater-like the more I work on it. YAY!
Sadly, I have no picture of it yet (as there's not really much to photograph), but here, have a picture of the yarn I'm using and my gauge swatch.
And I think that's about all the news that is news (and probably some that really isn't.)
Oh wait, I take that back - there is one more dash of news! Apparently my whole shoulder issue is contagious because my mom's having problems now. Only she decided to one up my bursitis and actually break her collarbone! What a showoff! (Just kidding! I mean, she did crack her collarbone, but I'm positive that she didn't do it to show me or up for any other reason because OUCH! She's having a non-fun time of it ('cause, hello! Broken bone!) so send her happy wishes and thoughts, k?)
Okay, that's really it this time!
First off, remember that whole crunched by a semi thing from January? Well, last month we finally got everything settled with the insurance company. The car had already been fixed (that happened pretty rapidly) but it took a while before all the medical visits were done. Now, though, everything is all signed off on and we got a check covering the medial-related things and a little bit extra. And that little bit extra leads to the next bit of news.
We got a new mattress! We've needed a new one for a bit now - our old one was about eight years old and did no favors to my back (or Dan's neck). But with us being on budgetary lockdown this year to save a nice chunk of change, we weren't quite sure how we'd swing a new mattress anytime soon. So yay for semi-trucks, I suppose? Anyway, we got a Stearns & Foster mattress, which are supposed to be quite the thing (though I had never heard of them, but then, I don't follow mattress fashion) and, naturally, we got it at Costco. It's so fantastic. It's soft and comfy but has fantastic support. My back is so much happier now! (It's this one if you happen to be shopping for a new mattress.)
In other news (warning: here's the dental news), Gidget seems to be doing well. She's on pain meds and is camped out in our guest bathroom where she has constant access to canned food. (We'd let her leave if she wanted, but I think the rest of the house pales in comparison to the food access.) We have a check up in a month so hopefully nothing pops up that we need to make an earlier appointment.
Speaking of kitties, Sam is still doing awesome on his anti-depressant. He's now acting like a real kitty - even purring when pet sometimes! That's pretty big news from him because he could get skittish easily when getting attention. Now we just need to work on getting him below sixteen pounds. (The weight loss challenge has hit a bit of a snag as no one is losing weight anymore!)
A bit of a knitting update: I almost missed it but I realized last week that September was my one year knitting anniversary! Yep, as of a few days ago, I've been knitting for a year now! And coinciding with that anniversary, I made probably my most challenging item to date: slippers!
The pattern is from a book called Knitting Scandinavian Slippers and Socks
and it's nice in that it has lots of pretty pictures that show how to do twined knitting, step-by-step. That's awesome and helpful. But the way the book is laid out meant I had to flip back and forth from the pattern I was working on to the basic slipper pattern, back to my pattern, over to the stitch explanations, back to my pattern... and in all that flipping (particularly when going to the basic slipper pattern that is spread over pages and pages because of the step-by-step pictures), I missed some details here and there. Which meant picking up the stitches and making the cuff on these puppies? A lot harder than they should be. Ah well, I'll just count it as a learning experience - learning the right way to do it and learning how to fudge things enough that the wrong way doesn't look wrong!Anyway, they are a bit loose (though I knew that when I decided to make them since they are for a women's 9/10 and I'm not) but they are super toasty and fit remarkably like a pair of bootie slippers Dan has that I always steal from him. And it seems that the fact that they are 100% wool help my feet not get sweaty. (I know you wanted to know that last bit.)
Of course, finishing off that project meant it was time to start a new one. So what's next? I'm making a sweater! Squee! It's a cardigan actually. I just cast on for it the day before yesterday and currently have something not at all resembling a sweater. It's more like a small belt or something. But that's okay because I knew it will become sweater-like the more I work on it. YAY!
Sadly, I have no picture of it yet (as there's not really much to photograph), but here, have a picture of the yarn I'm using and my gauge swatch.
And I think that's about all the news that is news (and probably some that really isn't.)
Oh wait, I take that back - there is one more dash of news! Apparently my whole shoulder issue is contagious because my mom's having problems now. Only she decided to one up my bursitis and actually break her collarbone! What a showoff! (Just kidding! I mean, she did crack her collarbone, but I'm positive that she didn't do it to show me or up for any other reason because OUCH! She's having a non-fun time of it ('cause, hello! Broken bone!) so send her happy wishes and thoughts, k?)
Okay, that's really it this time!
Friday, September 28, 2012
Surprise! More Dental News!
Shockingly, I have more Gidget-dental news. (I swear, this blog is becoming the Kitty Dental Update blog.)
Gidget is back at the dentist today to have another x-ray since the chlorophyll gel did not help enough (the severity of her pawing was reduced, but it was still in the moderate-to-severe category).
I just spoke to Dr. Bloom and she said Gidget has two issues currently: an ulcer in the back of her mouth and a canine that is undergoing surprisingly fast resorption. Today, they are going to laser the ulcer to remove all of that (and hopefully prevent a reoccurrence) and remove the canine tooth. We are currently leaving her other teeth in but, if she continues to experience discomfort, we will go ahead and remove the rest of the teeth.
Hopefully we won't end up with two toothless kitties running around (well, two and a half if you count Bitty since she only has two "real" teeth), but I'd much rather have a toothless Gidget than a pained Gidget. But fingers crossed that this takes care of everything and she'll only be partially toothless!!!
Gidget is back at the dentist today to have another x-ray since the chlorophyll gel did not help enough (the severity of her pawing was reduced, but it was still in the moderate-to-severe category).
I just spoke to Dr. Bloom and she said Gidget has two issues currently: an ulcer in the back of her mouth and a canine that is undergoing surprisingly fast resorption. Today, they are going to laser the ulcer to remove all of that (and hopefully prevent a reoccurrence) and remove the canine tooth. We are currently leaving her other teeth in but, if she continues to experience discomfort, we will go ahead and remove the rest of the teeth.
Hopefully we won't end up with two toothless kitties running around (well, two and a half if you count Bitty since she only has two "real" teeth), but I'd much rather have a toothless Gidget than a pained Gidget. But fingers crossed that this takes care of everything and she'll only be partially toothless!!!
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Dental News
Just a quick update on the Saga of Gidget's Teeth. We went to the dentist yesterday since Gidget had begun pawing violently at her mouth (again).
In the mean time, it's been difficult getting Gidget to eat and she's lost some weight, so we are currently trying to tempt her with lots of canned food. Nothing has hit big yet, but I have found she loves beef-flavored Pill Pockets. So I'm augmenting her diet with lots of those.
We have a dentist-directive to call next week to see if the gel has helped. Her problem is fairly cyclical though, so even if she's okay next week, I'm not going to hold my breath that she's all better until she can go two to three weeks without pawing. But still, fingers are crossed!
In the mean time, it's been difficult getting Gidget to eat and she's lost some weight, so we are currently trying to tempt her with lots of canned food. Nothing has hit big yet, but I have found she loves beef-flavored Pill Pockets. So I'm augmenting her diet with lots of those.
We have a dentist-directive to call next week to see if the gel has helped. Her problem is fairly cyclical though, so even if she's okay next week, I'm not going to hold my breath that she's all better until she can go two to three weeks without pawing. But still, fingers are crossed!
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
I Made Something!
A couple of days ago, I finished my OMG-this-is-taking-so-long-why-isn't-it-finished-yet project! Yay! I made a bathmat to put down for post-shower wet feet.
Of course, I've got about five other projects I'm dying to do (and even have the yarn for), but naturally I was derailed when I saw a pattern for this pair of slippers. While I'm sure my cold feet had something to do with it (I just decided to start wearing socks again yesterday), I kind of fell in love with the obnoxiousness of the slippers themselves. So I'm making some.
Anyway, I'm on the foot of slipper two, then I just have to do the cuff on both of them. I hope to have warm feet in about a week! (Though honestly, these are wool slippers so they might be a bit too warm for my feet for a few more months. We shall see! But I don't really make things to have them... I make things just to make them - and I'm having fun learning how to make these!)
Of course, I've got about five other projects I'm dying to do (and even have the yarn for), but naturally I was derailed when I saw a pattern for this pair of slippers. While I'm sure my cold feet had something to do with it (I just decided to start wearing socks again yesterday), I kind of fell in love with the obnoxiousness of the slippers themselves. So I'm making some.
Anyway, I'm on the foot of slipper two, then I just have to do the cuff on both of them. I hope to have warm feet in about a week! (Though honestly, these are wool slippers so they might be a bit too warm for my feet for a few more months. We shall see! But I don't really make things to have them... I make things just to make them - and I'm having fun learning how to make these!)
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Okra and Weirdness
The weather has turned cooler, which I'm not too thrilled about. For a while, though, our garden plants liked it. But a couple of days ago, the Marglobe tomatoes (which had really perked up when we had a "cold" snap a few weeks ago and temps went into the 80s) decided they were done and promptly kicked the bucket. The grasshoppers took care of any delusions of grandeur the Rutgers tomato plant may have had. The butterbeans gave up the ghost long ago and the jalapeño and banana peppers are the only peppers still alive (though the jalapeño looks unhappy about it). The Romas are still riding high from last month's cooler weather though I'm not sure if anything will come of all those blooms.
But the okra? Is a champ. In fact, I just got four okra from it this morning - the most it has put off at once all year! And there are still three or four baby okra on it, a few blooms and two okra that I'm leaving in an attempt to save some seeds for next year. It's the only plant that hasn't been totally disheartened by the broiling Texas summer and I hope it keeps on kicking for a while!
In other news, we had a strange visitor today. Well, we had a couple. First off, our neighbors have a new-ish kitten and puppy, both of which decided to frolic in our back yard today. Honestly, it was pretty cute but really drives home the fact that we desperately need to fix our fence. The gate has a huge hole in it. Why, it's big enough to allow a puppy in! (For the record, it's about a fifteen pound puppy, so not like a four-pound baby. Which means, yeah, the hole in the fence is not tiny, either.)
But after returning said puppy to her owner's arms, I noticed another little uninvited guest.
I know that this guy and his friends might love to nibble on my okra and other assorted growing things, but I can't find it within myself to kill caterpillars when I see them. Too many fond memories of playing with them as a child. (Well, that and they make a horrible squish - I can't kill things that you feel crunch or squish when you stomp them. Yuck!) He was on the brick of the porch so I just left him there. After taking many photos of him. Such an odd creature!
But the okra? Is a champ. In fact, I just got four okra from it this morning - the most it has put off at once all year! And there are still three or four baby okra on it, a few blooms and two okra that I'm leaving in an attempt to save some seeds for next year. It's the only plant that hasn't been totally disheartened by the broiling Texas summer and I hope it keeps on kicking for a while!
In other news, we had a strange visitor today. Well, we had a couple. First off, our neighbors have a new-ish kitten and puppy, both of which decided to frolic in our back yard today. Honestly, it was pretty cute but really drives home the fact that we desperately need to fix our fence. The gate has a huge hole in it. Why, it's big enough to allow a puppy in! (For the record, it's about a fifteen pound puppy, so not like a four-pound baby. Which means, yeah, the hole in the fence is not tiny, either.)
But after returning said puppy to her owner's arms, I noticed another little uninvited guest.
I know that this guy and his friends might love to nibble on my okra and other assorted growing things, but I can't find it within myself to kill caterpillars when I see them. Too many fond memories of playing with them as a child. (Well, that and they make a horrible squish - I can't kill things that you feel crunch or squish when you stomp them. Yuck!) He was on the brick of the porch so I just left him there. After taking many photos of him. Such an odd creature!
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Sling-les-ness
Just a bit of an update on my shoulder tendonitis/bursitis issues.
As of yesterday, I have been slingless for one full week. One week in the sling helped marvelously, so this past week has been spent trying not to overdo things and regaining full motion to my shoulder. I have had to spend some short times back in the sling when things just hurt too much, but overall it's gone quite well. I think I've pretty much (finally!) gotten full range of motion back, though I'm still having issues with how much pressure/weight I can apply/lift with my right arm. Hopefully that can be resolved in a few more days.
Fingers crossed!
In other news, Dan's making more beer. This weekend he's making another pumpkin beer and next weekend he's going to make an orange honey wheat beer especially for me! Yay!
As of yesterday, I have been slingless for one full week. One week in the sling helped marvelously, so this past week has been spent trying not to overdo things and regaining full motion to my shoulder. I have had to spend some short times back in the sling when things just hurt too much, but overall it's gone quite well. I think I've pretty much (finally!) gotten full range of motion back, though I'm still having issues with how much pressure/weight I can apply/lift with my right arm. Hopefully that can be resolved in a few more days.
Fingers crossed!
In other news, Dan's making more beer. This weekend he's making another pumpkin beer and next weekend he's going to make an orange honey wheat beer especially for me! Yay!
Thursday, September 6, 2012
My First Top!
In all of the years I've been crocheting (and the one year I've been knitting), I've never made apparel. Hats, scarves and even gloves sure, but not any actual clothing.
Well, now I have!
Anyway, I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out. It's not perfect - the lace at the top wants to curl a bit and I'm not in love with the way the yarn colors pooled - but I feel pretty accomplished making something wearable and comfortable. The yarn is massively soft so it is so comfy to wear. In fact, I'm wearing it now!
Well, now I have!
Anyway, I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out. It's not perfect - the lace at the top wants to curl a bit and I'm not in love with the way the yarn colors pooled - but I feel pretty accomplished making something wearable and comfortable. The yarn is massively soft so it is so comfy to wear. In fact, I'm wearing it now!
Friday, August 31, 2012
Blue Moon
Well, tonight was a blue moon. So all those 'once in a...' that you've been talking about, it's time to get them done!
I think this is what they're really supposed to look like.
I think this is what they're really supposed to look like.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
I am Not Left-Handed
My right arm is currently in a sling, so typing is difficult and this will be short.
Thursday night I ended up going to an urgent care place for my shoulder pain. The x-rays they took showed nothing bad so they referred me to another place to get an MRI. They also gave me some medications (including tramadol, which was lovely as it took the edge off the pain but sadly made me vomit... a trade-off that I might consider worth it if I didn't find some of Dan's old hydrocodone in our bathroom drawer) and a sling. The MRI was Friday morning and it the results were in that evening: tendonitis and bursitis.
The current treatment plan is one week of immobilization, ice, pain medication and anti-inflammatories. After that, I should be able to gradually get my shoulder back to normal, though it could take three to four months(!) to fully heal.
If one week doesn't do enough for the pain, the next step is to make an appointment with the orthopedics the urgent care center referred me to. Fingers crossed that such an appointment will be unnecessary! (Just three days of being trapped in the sling have greatly helped my pain decrease so I'm hopeful!)
In the mean time, the house will not get cleaned and making meals shall be... interesting.
Thursday night I ended up going to an urgent care place for my shoulder pain. The x-rays they took showed nothing bad so they referred me to another place to get an MRI. They also gave me some medications (including tramadol, which was lovely as it took the edge off the pain but sadly made me vomit... a trade-off that I might consider worth it if I didn't find some of Dan's old hydrocodone in our bathroom drawer) and a sling. The MRI was Friday morning and it the results were in that evening: tendonitis and bursitis.
The current treatment plan is one week of immobilization, ice, pain medication and anti-inflammatories. After that, I should be able to gradually get my shoulder back to normal, though it could take three to four months(!) to fully heal.
If one week doesn't do enough for the pain, the next step is to make an appointment with the orthopedics the urgent care center referred me to. Fingers crossed that such an appointment will be unnecessary! (Just three days of being trapped in the sling have greatly helped my pain decrease so I'm hopeful!)
In the mean time, the house will not get cleaned and making meals shall be... interesting.
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Finally! Some Good News!
Bitty had a vet appointment yesterday because we discovered a lump in her back Wednesday night. Both Happy and Chloe have had similar lumps that turned out to be fat lumps, but they still had to be surgically removed and biopsied before we were sure they were safe. So I figured, best case scenario, Bitty's lump would be the same thing.
So yay! Good news, finally! I hope this means that the difficult weeks (months) we've been having are turning around. But even if they aren't, I'm happy the Bitty lump isn't a bad thing!
So yay! Good news, finally! I hope this means that the difficult weeks (months) we've been having are turning around. But even if they aren't, I'm happy the Bitty lump isn't a bad thing!
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
It's Wet
We had massive rain last night. Massive. From about 7pm on. It looked like it was done this morning but a lighter rain recently started falling, so apparently not. Needless to say, things are very wet outside now. But the single tomato in my garden seems happy.
Aside from interrupted sleep, the rain storm also left us with a swollen screen door on the porch (which is on Dan's to-do list to fix but somehow manages to always be pushed down my more important things - especially since it only swells when it rains and, well, this is Texas), a massively tilting pool and a bit of broken fence.
Grass! But not just any grass. No, this grass was growing through the bottom.
Yes, you read that right. Grass has poked its way through the tarp beneath the pool and pierced the pool bottom. Delightful, is it not? (It is not.) That coupled with the massive tilt that always seems to pop up after windy, rainy weather means that we are most likely going to drain the pool this weekend to patch the hole and try (again) to level the ground. (Oh look! Something just leapt in front of the swollen porch door on the to-do list! Amazing how that happens!)
In other news, Gidget has been doing a lot better since I made another follow-up dentist appointment for her. She's regained the weight she lost post-extraction, is eating (quite a bit) more and seems to have stopped pawing at her mouth. So this morning I decided to cancel my appointment instead of making her go through the stress of a road trip and vet office visit. I figured canceling would cause the problem to instantly reappear but it hasn't so far! Four hours and counting - huzzah!
I still have to reschedule my dental appointment though. Meh.
Aside from interrupted sleep, the rain storm also left us with a swollen screen door on the porch (which is on Dan's to-do list to fix but somehow manages to always be pushed down my more important things - especially since it only swells when it rains and, well, this is Texas), a massively tilting pool and a bit of broken fence.
Grass! But not just any grass. No, this grass was growing through the bottom.
Yes, you read that right. Grass has poked its way through the tarp beneath the pool and pierced the pool bottom. Delightful, is it not? (It is not.) That coupled with the massive tilt that always seems to pop up after windy, rainy weather means that we are most likely going to drain the pool this weekend to patch the hole and try (again) to level the ground. (Oh look! Something just leapt in front of the swollen porch door on the to-do list! Amazing how that happens!)
In other news, Gidget has been doing a lot better since I made another follow-up dentist appointment for her. She's regained the weight she lost post-extraction, is eating (quite a bit) more and seems to have stopped pawing at her mouth. So this morning I decided to cancel my appointment instead of making her go through the stress of a road trip and vet office visit. I figured canceling would cause the problem to instantly reappear but it hasn't so far! Four hours and counting - huzzah!
I still have to reschedule my dental appointment though. Meh.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Our Current Excitement
I (finally) got my order in from Le Palais des Thés, which means big excitement all around! I got new teas and the kitties got a new box.
(Also, I feel the need to state that I did not, in fact, order so much tea that they needed to send me such a large box. I ordered a total of 400g of tea - less than a pound. Yet while I did not need such a large box, who am I to reject something that gives Cocoa such entertainment?)
(Also, I feel the need to state that I did not, in fact, order so much tea that they needed to send me such a large box. I ordered a total of 400g of tea - less than a pound. Yet while I did not need such a large box, who am I to reject something that gives Cocoa such entertainment?)
Monday, August 13, 2012
Update of Nothingness
It's been a while since I've updated but that stems from having nothing all too exciting to post about. Mostly it's been a dental-themed few weeks with Gidget having some pain issues related to her tooth extractions (she's got another appointment Wednesday to see what else might be causing the problem since grinding the tip of the tooth that was poking into her extraction site didn't seem to fix it) and Happy having to get a cavity filled during her last teeth cleaning. Oh, did I mention that Happy also had tonsillitis? No wonder her breath smelled so bad!
In other dental news, I was supposed to go to the dentist Friday for a cleaning but had to cancel because I accidentally poisoned myself with corn (we think, at least) and felt wretched. Non-tooth related, my joints have been unhappy in my hands lately which has decreased my knitting time. I'm still making good (though slightly slower) progress on my cotton tank top though - I've got almost seven inches of stockinette done! (The pattern calls for 10" but I think I'm going to do closer to 12" so it is a bit longer. We shall see how it goes.) Knitting actually seems to help my hands feel better (have I mentioned before how much I adore my needles?) but sometimes it is hard to want to pick it up when everything aches so. I'm 34 and I'm falling apart!
Oh well. Hopefully the kitties will stay in one piece!
In other dental news, I was supposed to go to the dentist Friday for a cleaning but had to cancel because I accidentally poisoned myself with corn (we think, at least) and felt wretched. Non-tooth related, my joints have been unhappy in my hands lately which has decreased my knitting time. I'm still making good (though slightly slower) progress on my cotton tank top though - I've got almost seven inches of stockinette done! (The pattern calls for 10" but I think I'm going to do closer to 12" so it is a bit longer. We shall see how it goes.) Knitting actually seems to help my hands feel better (have I mentioned before how much I adore my needles?) but sometimes it is hard to want to pick it up when everything aches so. I'm 34 and I'm falling apart!
Oh well. Hopefully the kitties will stay in one piece!
Friday, August 3, 2012
I Like Numbers
So today I've been watching some DVR'ed back episodes of the History Channel series, United Stats of America and here are a few of the things I've learned today:
- When we multi-task, our IQ effectively drops 10 points
- 1 our of 7 Americans is tattooed
- The average single-family American home (as of 2010) is over 2300sq ft
- Money can buy happiness: it costs around $75k per year
- It is funny watching someone creep into a stranger's personal space
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Stop Mocking Me
It's been a bit too long since I've updated, so I figured it was time to fix that. It's not so much that I haven't had anything to talk about (I can babble about nothing with the best of them), but rather that the things going one aren't all that huge, I've had no related pictures and I've been rather busy doing housewife-y type stuff (or being in the pool) and that doesn't really mesh with being able to type up a blog post.
First off, an adorable Gidgie:
Next: our garden. Meh. We've only had marginal success here and I don't think there will be much improvement because things are so darn hot. My squash and zucchini have decided to die gracelessly (the zucchini without doing anything, the squash after putting off lots and lots of blooms - all male), my tomatoes are alive and kicking but only one Marglobe is doing anything (happily, that "anything" is growing a tomato), my peppers are pretty but unproductive (though we did get one jalapeño) and my butterbeans have finally lost the battle against the grasshoppers.
On the plus side with the garden (the grasshoppers have no plus side), the okra seems pretty happy. We've gotten slightly less than a dozen okra from it and it is doing its best to give us two more in a few days (the blooms are just buds right now). The grasshoppers have attempted to munch on them some but don't seem to like them.
We have managed to get enough okra to fry some up, but we got them from my parents' garden so I don't think it really counts.
And speaking of frying, no picture but I did learn a new way of cooking venison - frying it! Dan gave me some cookbooks for my birthday (no, I actually wanted them, they weren't a hint about my cooking or the equivalent of giving me an iron or anything like that) and there was a recipe for batter-fried venison which turned out to be so tasty. They were kind of like steak fingers but better since I'm not a huge fan of steak fingers but I really liked these. It's good to have another way to cook venison since my dad keeps us fairly well stocked in it. (I did recently learn that you can actually buy venison, but I'm not exactly sure where. I don't think my grocery store carries it though they tend to carry lots of not-so-typical products.)
Oh, in other news: tea! I'm one step closer to my New Year's resolution to buy from some new tea vendors! My tea pantry was getting pretty thin - I was down to 68 teas, which might sound like a lot, but manages not to be when I'm more used to having 100+ teas - so I placed two orders, one with American Tea Room and the other with Le Palais des Thés. Neither order has arrived yet (since I just ordered them yesterday) but I'm looking forward to it! That plus some stuff I picked up at the grocery store today and I'm at a much more comfortable 86 teas in my pantry. Whew. I was worried for a bit.
Speaking of being worried, last week I came to the realization that I didn't have enough yarn for the top I was knitting. I had enough for the pattern as written, but I needed to top a bit bigger than the pattern and that left me with enough yarn to make basically a crop top. So I hunted down a second ball of yarn through Ravelry, ripped back my almost 5" of stockinette and started alternating the yarns. (For the non-knitters, since the yarn is hand dyed, I have to alternate between the two since the two balls are slightly different from each other. That way there won't be a noticeable line when I switch to the second ball.) So now I've got about two and a half inches done with another foot or so to go.
I think that's about it as far as recent news. (Which is good cause who really wants to read this much?) Oh, one little thing - tomorrow is our anniversary. Ten years! Yes, ten! I can't believe Dan and I will have been married for a decade. I'm too young to have been married that long! But I'm totally pleased that he's put up with me that long!
In celebration, I give you Cocoa belly.
First off, an adorable Gidgie:
Next: our garden. Meh. We've only had marginal success here and I don't think there will be much improvement because things are so darn hot. My squash and zucchini have decided to die gracelessly (the zucchini without doing anything, the squash after putting off lots and lots of blooms - all male), my tomatoes are alive and kicking but only one Marglobe is doing anything (happily, that "anything" is growing a tomato), my peppers are pretty but unproductive (though we did get one jalapeño) and my butterbeans have finally lost the battle against the grasshoppers.
On the plus side with the garden (the grasshoppers have no plus side), the okra seems pretty happy. We've gotten slightly less than a dozen okra from it and it is doing its best to give us two more in a few days (the blooms are just buds right now). The grasshoppers have attempted to munch on them some but don't seem to like them.
We have managed to get enough okra to fry some up, but we got them from my parents' garden so I don't think it really counts.
And speaking of frying, no picture but I did learn a new way of cooking venison - frying it! Dan gave me some cookbooks for my birthday (no, I actually wanted them, they weren't a hint about my cooking or the equivalent of giving me an iron or anything like that) and there was a recipe for batter-fried venison which turned out to be so tasty. They were kind of like steak fingers but better since I'm not a huge fan of steak fingers but I really liked these. It's good to have another way to cook venison since my dad keeps us fairly well stocked in it. (I did recently learn that you can actually buy venison, but I'm not exactly sure where. I don't think my grocery store carries it though they tend to carry lots of not-so-typical products.)
Oh, in other news: tea! I'm one step closer to my New Year's resolution to buy from some new tea vendors! My tea pantry was getting pretty thin - I was down to 68 teas, which might sound like a lot, but manages not to be when I'm more used to having 100+ teas - so I placed two orders, one with American Tea Room and the other with Le Palais des Thés. Neither order has arrived yet (since I just ordered them yesterday) but I'm looking forward to it! That plus some stuff I picked up at the grocery store today and I'm at a much more comfortable 86 teas in my pantry. Whew. I was worried for a bit.
Speaking of being worried, last week I came to the realization that I didn't have enough yarn for the top I was knitting. I had enough for the pattern as written, but I needed to top a bit bigger than the pattern and that left me with enough yarn to make basically a crop top. So I hunted down a second ball of yarn through Ravelry, ripped back my almost 5" of stockinette and started alternating the yarns. (For the non-knitters, since the yarn is hand dyed, I have to alternate between the two since the two balls are slightly different from each other. That way there won't be a noticeable line when I switch to the second ball.) So now I've got about two and a half inches done with another foot or so to go.
I think that's about it as far as recent news. (Which is good cause who really wants to read this much?) Oh, one little thing - tomorrow is our anniversary. Ten years! Yes, ten! I can't believe Dan and I will have been married for a decade. I'm too young to have been married that long! But I'm totally pleased that he's put up with me that long!
In celebration, I give you Cocoa belly.
Friday, July 27, 2012
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Breakfast of Champions
Happy Birthday to me!
Yes, I'm a whopping 34 years old today! And in celebration, today's plans include: knitting, pool time and chocolate cake. Though not particularly in that order as this was my breakfast:
Yes, I'm a whopping 34 years old today! And in celebration, today's plans include: knitting, pool time and chocolate cake. Though not particularly in that order as this was my breakfast:
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Missing Pieces
Gidget and Bitty are back from the dentist, doped up and either happily (Gidget) or grumpily (Bitty) stoned.
Of course, I don't blame Bitty for being grumpy - she had a lot of work done. Of course, I don't blame Gidget for being happy, either - they are on the good stuff! But it's well deserved. Gidget only had two teeth removed. Bitty, on the other hand...
That's right, she had ten extractions. Ten! Poor kitty - she was already missing nine teeth and cats only start out with something like 30 teeth. She's got only eleven left now, most of which are the tiny little teeth in the front of her mouth.
See, no wonder she's grumpy, even in her stoned state.
Gidgie had a much easier time with her two extractions (added to her previously missing nine teeth) so the pain meds are doing a lot better killing all of her pain. She's a pretty happy camper right now!
Hopefully we'll be able to say the same about Bitty in a day or two. Poor kitty!
Of course, I don't blame Bitty for being grumpy - she had a lot of work done. Of course, I don't blame Gidget for being happy, either - they are on the good stuff! But it's well deserved. Gidget only had two teeth removed. Bitty, on the other hand...
That's right, she had ten extractions. Ten! Poor kitty - she was already missing nine teeth and cats only start out with something like 30 teeth. She's got only eleven left now, most of which are the tiny little teeth in the front of her mouth.
See, no wonder she's grumpy, even in her stoned state.
Gidgie had a much easier time with her two extractions (added to her previously missing nine teeth) so the pain meds are doing a lot better killing all of her pain. She's a pretty happy camper right now!
Hopefully we'll be able to say the same about Bitty in a day or two. Poor kitty!
Thursday, July 12, 2012
This Cheers Me Up
I'm a bit under the weather today (got a bad cough, among other things) but fortunately the only remaining work I had on my alpaca hat was pretty simple.
Yes. Was. Past tense. I am done!
Yay alpaca hat!
Yes. Was. Past tense. I am done!
Yay alpaca hat!
Friday, July 6, 2012
More Alpaca-y Goodness
Well, I'm still a bit brain dead from our weekend road trip - though, okay, actually at this point I'm just a bit brain dead from all the catch up I've been doing. Yesterday was laundry day. Today I need to get the rest of the house up to code. But fortunately, one chore included in that is getting the pool chemicals straight.
That's right! Our pool is finally back! We ended up with a leak in it a bit ago and ordered a new pool body but it arrived the day before we left on our trip so we didn't get to put it up. Naturally, we didn't want to put it up right after we got back either. So evening before last we (and I really mean Dan) set it up and got it filled with water. And last night we (and again, I really mean Dan) got the pump hooked up to it. So that means I can get the chemicals all straight and actually get in it today! Yay! This is good because I feel like I'm turning pasty white again and that's not a happy thought in the middle of summer.
But back to the brain deadness. I can't always knit when my brain is mush, but my alpaca hat doesn't require the ability to count to more than 16 (and in most cases, I just need to count to three or four a few times in a particular order) so I've managed to get a lot of work done on it in the past two days.
See?
I realize this is a bit mad, but I'm kind of contemplating doing a second hat. It's just been such a good knit project (once I got it on my new needles) and I'd like to try to change up the colors a bit (though probably use the same ones just because I have a lot of the yarn left) but I'm not sure what I would need with two alpaca hats. But I think my subconscious wants to give it a try because I actually dreamed about it last night.
Of course, I can always use the charts from the pattern and see about making some matching mittens or something. That'd be ridiculously fun. It would require a bunch of upfront thinking which might eliminate the desire to do it, but I've done knitting-related math before (on this hat (though it ended up unnecessary once I changed needles) and on Dan's gloves) so I really should stop letting it intimidate me.
Which does make me want to state for the record: Algebra? You really do use it after you graduate! (I still haven't found a use for geometric proofs, though.)
Anyway, I'm on the crown of the hat which means it's the last section before finishing so I'm oh-so-close to done. But it also means that my current circular is going to be too big in the not too distant future for me to finish this project. Yes, I could magic loop but I really want to finish it on double pointed needles. That means, though, that the DPNs I ordered need to get here quickly!
Of course, I imagine pool time will slow my knitting down a bit. I don't think those two activities should be combined. At least, not outside of a blog post.
That's right! Our pool is finally back! We ended up with a leak in it a bit ago and ordered a new pool body but it arrived the day before we left on our trip so we didn't get to put it up. Naturally, we didn't want to put it up right after we got back either. So evening before last we (and I really mean Dan) set it up and got it filled with water. And last night we (and again, I really mean Dan) got the pump hooked up to it. So that means I can get the chemicals all straight and actually get in it today! Yay! This is good because I feel like I'm turning pasty white again and that's not a happy thought in the middle of summer.
But back to the brain deadness. I can't always knit when my brain is mush, but my alpaca hat doesn't require the ability to count to more than 16 (and in most cases, I just need to count to three or four a few times in a particular order) so I've managed to get a lot of work done on it in the past two days.
See?
I realize this is a bit mad, but I'm kind of contemplating doing a second hat. It's just been such a good knit project (once I got it on my new needles) and I'd like to try to change up the colors a bit (though probably use the same ones just because I have a lot of the yarn left) but I'm not sure what I would need with two alpaca hats. But I think my subconscious wants to give it a try because I actually dreamed about it last night.
Of course, I can always use the charts from the pattern and see about making some matching mittens or something. That'd be ridiculously fun. It would require a bunch of upfront thinking which might eliminate the desire to do it, but I've done knitting-related math before (on this hat (though it ended up unnecessary once I changed needles) and on Dan's gloves) so I really should stop letting it intimidate me.
Which does make me want to state for the record: Algebra? You really do use it after you graduate! (I still haven't found a use for geometric proofs, though.)
Anyway, I'm on the crown of the hat which means it's the last section before finishing so I'm oh-so-close to done. But it also means that my current circular is going to be too big in the not too distant future for me to finish this project. Yes, I could magic loop but I really want to finish it on double pointed needles. That means, though, that the DPNs I ordered need to get here quickly!
Of course, I imagine pool time will slow my knitting down a bit. I don't think those two activities should be combined. At least, not outside of a blog post.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
The Winner Is AWESOME!
Okay, lately there has been much drama (or, you know, long-winded babbling, whichever you prefer) about my search for the perfect interchangeable knitting needle. Well, I found it which you would think would end the uber-lengthy posts about it, but apparently not. Because, y'all, I got my HiyaHiya stainless SHARPS.
When Dan and I were up in St. Louis this weekend, my in-laws gifted me with an early birthday present. Needles!
As you can see in the picture above, I'm working on a stranded colorwork hat (alpaca hat!) on my new needles. But what that picture doesn't show is that I started the hat on a different brand of needles (because I didn't own the Hiyas at that point). But I had so many issues knitting with those needles - after just an hour of knitting, my fingers would throb and my hands were just so sore! So when I got my new needles, I promptly restarted the project, this time using just the HiyaHiyas.
That's when the gushing began. To just give you an idea, I knit for almost eight hours straight (with an about 20 minute break for feeding in the middle) on our road trip yesterday. Then my hands started to get a little tired. So one hour of knitting with my old needles versus almost eight hours with my new.
Yeah, I kind of love my HiyaHiyas. Just a bit.
But on to the hat!
At least, that's the general theory. I hope it turns out that way! I also hope it fits me. The pattern is for a 20-21" head and I have a 23" head. So I upped the needle size, which is giving me the perfect gauge for the pattern to end up as 22.9" around. But the bottom is flaring quite a bit from the knitted cast on (I probably should have done that in the US3s before going up a size) but I figure I can get it snugged up at the end since the pattern calls for an attached i-cord around the edges. Also, it seems a lot of people end up with a huge hat so I am a little concerned (even though math says this will work perfectly) but if the i-cord doesn't snug it up enough, I can always felt the hat a little. I think a fuzzy alpaca would be divine.
Also, because stranded colorwork like this has such a messy back (with the unused colors stringing along the inside), I decided to do the earflaps in the round. So the earflaps are double thick and both sides are the right side. I kind of enjoy how that turned out. (Though I do hope blocking will help with my uneven stitches. I tend to be a little messier with colorwork like this. I suppose I just need to practice more!)
So there we have it: my newest knitting project and some gushing about the best needles ever! Whee!
Other posts in my needle hunt saga:
Part I A and Part I B
Part II
Part III
This entry is my gushing about the big winner!
My KA Switch Short set review
And my Chiaogoo Spin and Twist review is here
When Dan and I were up in St. Louis this weekend, my in-laws gifted me with an early birthday present. Needles!
As you can see in the picture above, I'm working on a stranded colorwork hat (alpaca hat!) on my new needles. But what that picture doesn't show is that I started the hat on a different brand of needles (because I didn't own the Hiyas at that point). But I had so many issues knitting with those needles - after just an hour of knitting, my fingers would throb and my hands were just so sore! So when I got my new needles, I promptly restarted the project, this time using just the HiyaHiyas.
That's when the gushing began. To just give you an idea, I knit for almost eight hours straight (with an about 20 minute break for feeding in the middle) on our road trip yesterday. Then my hands started to get a little tired. So one hour of knitting with my old needles versus almost eight hours with my new.
Yeah, I kind of love my HiyaHiyas. Just a bit.
But on to the hat!
At least, that's the general theory. I hope it turns out that way! I also hope it fits me. The pattern is for a 20-21" head and I have a 23" head. So I upped the needle size, which is giving me the perfect gauge for the pattern to end up as 22.9" around. But the bottom is flaring quite a bit from the knitted cast on (I probably should have done that in the US3s before going up a size) but I figure I can get it snugged up at the end since the pattern calls for an attached i-cord around the edges. Also, it seems a lot of people end up with a huge hat so I am a little concerned (even though math says this will work perfectly) but if the i-cord doesn't snug it up enough, I can always felt the hat a little. I think a fuzzy alpaca would be divine.
Also, because stranded colorwork like this has such a messy back (with the unused colors stringing along the inside), I decided to do the earflaps in the round. So the earflaps are double thick and both sides are the right side. I kind of enjoy how that turned out. (Though I do hope blocking will help with my uneven stitches. I tend to be a little messier with colorwork like this. I suppose I just need to practice more!)
So there we have it: my newest knitting project and some gushing about the best needles ever! Whee!
Other posts in my needle hunt saga:
Part I A and Part I B
Part II
Part III
This entry is my gushing about the big winner!
My KA Switch Short set review
And my Chiaogoo Spin and Twist review is here
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