My Life is Officially a Whirlwind

OK! If you aren't sitting down, you better find a seat, and if you are already sitting, you better hold onto the chair............................

Friday HoneyBunny and I received a job offer in Wyoming!! Then TODAY the owner of the business met with us and asked us how soon we could be moved up there! They need us up there NOW! We said, "Ummmmmm, can we have a few weeks to quit our jobs here, sell our house, pack up our entire lives, transfer our children to new schools, and say good-bye to all of our friends and family?" They were reluctant, but said that we were perfect for the job and therefore worth the wait.

Can you believe it!!!!????? My head is spinning and I keep having to take a deep breath in an effort to slow my pounding heart down.

This is an answer to our prayers. As you know HoneyBunny has been working under the threat that any day he is going to have to go on permanent disability because of his back problems and he just can't drive his dump truck anymore. We have racked our brains for months now trying to figure out what in the world we are going to do. He can't do a desk job because he can't sit for extended periods of time, he can't be on his feet for long periods of time, etc. and so we haven't been able to come up with anything. We certainly can't live on my income alone!!! We had owned our own business at one time, but we are in no kind of financial situation to where it would be possible for us to start another one. So we have just been in a state of complete frustration and hopelessness.....Until Friday when this phone call came in.

What is the job offer? Oh ya! Managing a motel. We will live on the premises--so no more house payments, property taxes, power bills, etc., etc. They have a person that comes in during the week so that we can have some time to get away. All we have to do is maintain the property and check the guests in and out, essentially. The head maid takes care of all of the laundry and cleaning of the rooms so we don't do any of that. AND, believe it or not it gets better, there is a small store in the motel that is empty and they thought that it would be perfect for a yarn/souvenir shop! Well, they certainly know how to motivate me!!!

So, we are moving in four weeks. I'll try to keep you posted.

Ta-Da!

I know I was whining quite a bit about this laptop case the other day. But after some serious creative thought I figured out a way to fix my complete screw-up and make it look good. See what I did was:

1. I didn't buy enough yarn. I was trying to make it with what I had and thought it would be enough. I mean, I made the thing 90 sts on size 10 needles wide and knit 250 some rows!!! I knit until all I had was scraps of four 120 yard skeins left! Who knew it was going to shrink THAT SMALL!

2. I didn't watch it while it was "processing" in the washing machine. I threw it in, walked off, and didn't think about it again until it was REALLY too late to rescue it.

3. I didn't start it soon enough to plan the whole project out properly. I knew it wasn't going to take long to make so I procrastinated until I had to do double time to get it done in time.

4. I didn't do a test swatch. BIG SURPRISE THERE! I know, I know. You should always do a test swatch, especially when you are going to felt something so that you can get a good idea of how much the yarn will shrink in each direction of the fabric. I was running late and didn't have time. My projects al(most)ways turn out good in the end anyway--right?

So, after doing everything I possibly could to create a HUGE catastophe out of this ladies laptop case that she was giving to her daughter as a "going away to college" gift...........I did manage to make a really cute latop case.

She is taking the case to another lady to have some fancy beading and embroidery work done on it. It's nothing fancy now, but the other bag she showed me to pattern this one after was really cute with the extra's.

All's well that ends well. However, the next time I start to do something like this again, someone stop me!!!

The Lazy Days of Summer....HA!

I feel really bad about not blogging very often lately, but I have been so busy I feel like I've been in a tornado.

School starts next Monday for the kids so all of the usual preparations have been going on, you know clothes shopping, supply shopping, grocery and snack shopping, shopping shopping, and more shopping. I used to love shopping. It just isn't that much fun anymore. I think it's because I don't like to spend my money on anything that doesn't have something to do with knitting. Yes, that is very selfish of me, but knitting is an awfully high priority.

In addition to the school whirlwind, my birthday was a couple of weeks ago. We spent the end of the week and the weekend running around the countryside fishing and hiking. It was a lot of fun! but left me with four days of housework and projects to get caught up on....I'm still not caught up!

Besides all of the shopping fun I've been having, I have a lap top case that was really supposed to be done last week, but still isn't! It's actually my fault for not doing a test felt sample. I just HATE making samples. It is such a waste of time and yarn! However, now I have to figure out how to take this "bag" that measures 18 inches long (from opening to bottom) and only 10 inches wide and make it stretch or something so that it is 16 inches wide. It shrunk WAY too much in width and about right in length. I am so mad at the whole project that I would just cut it to pieces if it was something for me, but it is for a customer so I better not loose my cool yet. So I have to figure out what I am going to do to fix the (blank) thing and still have it look good AND have it done by this weekend. I HATE cursed projects. I will post a picture of the whole mess soon so you can weep, wail, and gnash your teeth with me. (I am at work right now so no pictures. Sorry). I think this is why I stay away from felted projects. To many variables and you never know whether all of that work is going to turn out right or not until after all of the PERMANENT changes are accomplished (ie. it comes out of the washing machine).

I am very happy to report that the LOVELY little jacket I mentioned in my last post is almost done!! I have the little sleeves to make and then sew it together. I hate the sewing part, but I really want the little jacket! If you haven't started yours yet NOW is the time! A more perfect late summer, early fall sweater does not exist. See the last posts for links to the pattern.

As soon as school starts I anticipate having a little more time. Hopefully my blog posts will be more frequent.

Happy knitting!