Way past my bedtime

OMG...I am so tired!
As many may (or may not) know, the newest book in the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer was released at midnight last night. Bookstores everywhere had releaseparties, and my daughter convinced me to let her go, and to top it off, I volunteered to chaperone her and her friends.
What was I thinking! No chairs to sit in while I waited, massively over-crowded...well, hello clautophobia, how are we this evening.

Actually, other than the teenage girl screaming (cough, and some teenage boy screaming...really, it happened) and the press of bodies, it wasn't too bad. I only had to leave the store once because of my clautrophobia, and once I knew there was a quick and easy way out of the store, it didn;t rear it's ugly head again. Also, I have to say, Barnes & Noble had their act together. Once midnight hit (wish I had ear plugs for that count down), the line moved very fast; we were out the door with the book in about 30 minutes. In addition to getting "Breaking Dawn" for my daughter, I was able to pick up "The Host" for me; both hardback copies for about $30 total (Hello sale! and Love you Membership card!).
I got home around 1:30 AM. Which wouldn't be so bad if I hadn't woken up at 8 this morning! Really, I NEED 10 hours a night to fuction properly. Oh well, I should sleep great tonight! House cleaning, here I come...

Slowly Getting Back to Speed

Not a lot of stitching has been happening over the past month thanks to both the PC crash and some massive knots in my upper back and neck. Give ya' three guesses where I store my stress!

BUT...I got the camera software loaded and pictures taken!

First up is "Book of Ink Circles" (BoINK):

I am loving this one! I put in about 30 hours on it before I got 'sick' of it. Then after 2 hours into the next project, I wanted to pick it back up again!

I'm up to 200 hours on the "Winter White Tree Skirt":


And "Winter's Grazing" is still almost done:

I'm thinking about 20 - 30 more hours to complete it.

I've also restarted the Project Challenge. My goal is 15 or more project finishes before I splurge buy again. I had to take advantage of Cross My Heart Inc, going out of business sale. I have the "Earth Dragon" and wanted the other three elemental dragons before they became impossible to find. The good news, however, is I used the money I made off of the stash I have been selling to buy them. Bonus is that it makes hubby happy too. (He like when I buy for myself on occasion, but knows how our finances have been lately.)
On that note, hubby has picked up a full time job to supplement our income. For those who did not know, he is a real estate investor, and his income was affected by the housing crash. He had to change strategies (yeah, commercial property), however commercial property has a longer turn over rate (at least in regards to money coming in to feed and cloth the kids). So now my poor man is working 120 hours a week.

Now about this year's swimsuits. After two stores and 20+ different suits, I've found that manufacturers think everyone is an 'A' cup (including plus size women) and we want to cover the nipple only. Seriously, I get better support and coverage by going topless! On the up side, I got a new pair of shorts and they are a 10! (Yes folks, that's down from an 18 at the beginning of last year.)

Anyone know of any stores that sell swimsuits that have coverage and support? I'm talking 'XL' top (think D-cup)and 'L' bottom. I don't mind showing off cleavage. Just not down to my navel. Oh, and no bikinis, please. Trust me, no one wants to see these stretch marks.

~I've been working on the Railroading, all the live long day....~

Something that was sent to me, that I thought I'd share...

It starts out as a WHIMM (Work Hidden in My Mind).
After a FART (Fabric Acquisition Road Trip) and some SEX (Stash Enhancing eXperience) it becomes a PIG(Project in a Grocery Sack).
The PIG become a HSY (pronounced hissy ...means Haven't Started Yet).
Once you have a HSY fit and begin work, it becomes a WIP(Work in Progress).
The WIP becomes a UFO (UnFulfilled Opportunity ...(I like that better then Unfinished Object whichsounds so negative), as soon as some other project grabs and holds your attention more than the project that was a WIP.

American's Average MPG

A 2006 study by Texas A&M University found that the average American walks about 900 miles per year.

Another study by the American Beer Institute found that Americans drink an average of 22 gallons of beer a year.

That means, on average, Americans get approximately 41 miles per gallon - not bad...

Driving rules of Houston

1. You must learn to pronounce the city name. It is "Hue-stun", not "Ewe-stun", or "house-tun". Oh yea, the street is pronounced "San Phil-ee-pay," not" San Phil-eep" ( San Felipe).
2. Forget the traffic rules you learned elsewhere. Houston has its own version of traffic rules...Hold on and pray. There is no such thing as a dangerous high-speed chase in Houston. We all drive like that.
3. All directions start with, "Go down to Loop 610".... which has no beginning and no end.
4. The Chamber of Commerce calls getting through traffic... a "Scenic Drive ."
5. The morning rush hour is from 6:00AM to 10:00AM. The evening rush hour is from 3:00PM to 7:00PM. Friday's rush hour starts Thursday morning.
6. If you actually stop at a yellow light, you will be rear-ended, cussed out and possibly shot. When you are the first one off the starting line, count to five when the light turns green before going, to avoid getting into any cross-traffic's way.
7. Kuykendahl Road can ONLY be pronounced by a native Houstonian.
8. Construction on I-10, I-45, US 59 and Loop 610 is away of life and a permanent form of entertainment.
9. All unexplained smells are explained by the phrases,"Oh, we must be in Pasadena!" or "God, I hate Baytown!" or "Mmm, smell that Texas City!"
10. If someone actually has their turn signal on, it is probably a factory defect.
11. All old ladies with blue hair in a pink Cadillac have total right-of-way.
12. The minimum acceptable speed on Loop 610 is 85 mph. Anything less is considered downright sissy. In turn, the minimum speed on Westheimer is at least 45mph.
13. The wrought iron on windows in east Houston are NOT ornamental.
14. Never stare at the driver of the car with the bumper sticker that says, "Keep honking, I'm reloading." In fact, don't honk at anyone.
15. If you are in the left lane, and only going 70 mph in a 60 mph zone, people are not waving when they pass you.
16. The Sam Houston Toll road is our daily version of NASCAR.
17. If it's 100 degrees, Thanksgiving must be next weekend.
18. When in doubt, remember that all unmarked exits lead to Louisiana.
19. If you live in Katy and I live on the south side of Houston we'll never hang out.
20. The best thing about being drunk between 2-5 am is Whataburger will serve both breakfast and normal menus.
21. You are always able to be pulled over by any police vehicle, even if you were just given a ticket.
22. By the same token, one police vehicle can and will pull over more than one vehicle at a time; there is no max. limit.
23. You don't have to wait for an exit to get off a freeway, just follow the ruts in the grass to the feeder like everyone else. This is how Houston resident's notify Texas Department of Transportation where exits should have been built.
24. Else-where, they are called frontage roads. Here in Houston , they are called FEEDER roads, so don't look stupid when we say "Exit the feeder road and use the loop-d-loop." (See Rule 3)

If you ever need a giggle...

Just check out my choice of footwear for the day.





I was at work for 1 1/2 hours before I noticed this.

Sadly, this is not the first time it haas happened either.

Note to self: If your going to get dressed in the dark, at least check you feet in the light before you walk out the door. Or keep a pair of tennis shoes in the car for the next time you do this.

WOOHOO VACATION! {TAG I'm it}

This is my last day of work this week, and I'm on vacation next week. Yes folks, that's 11 days without worrying about work. Heck, I won't even be thinking about it!
Now as to whether I'll get rest, i don't know. We head out of town Saturday morning to visit my sister. Have I mentioned she's 6 months pregnant? If she'll let me, I'll get pictures so you can see how great she's looking. But don't hold your breath. To say she's been emotional is the biggest understatement in the world. Luckily, since I've been pregnant before, and emotional too (although not like that!), I'm about the only one who's allowed to laugh, when she's around, at the things that set her off crying.

For example, it's family tradition to make a certain type of cookie at my mom's house. The cookie has a VERY stiff dough, so stiff that my mom buys a new hand mixer every year, because the motor burns out just by making the cookies. My sister decided to help out and mix up a batch while my mom was out, and the hand mixer broke. As usual. However, I got the call afterwards from my sister crying because she broke it. And her asking me why she is even crying over something so stupid. After I stopped laughing and picked myself up off the floor, I reminded her that she was pregnant, and to blame the guy who got her that way and mom for getting cheap $10 mixers that break every year. My sister consoled herself with the cookie dough. Mom got an early Christmas present from my step-dad, after he heard the story (how could I not share it), an semi-expensive Kitchen-Aid mixer; which we almost burnt out the motor making the same cookies.

So...
We're going to go see my sister this weekend because she want a niece and nephew fix.
Then the following weekend, my step-sister is getting married. My daughter and I are bridesmaids. have i mentioned she's 5 months pregnant? She and her hubby are already married (common-law status rocks in Texas), they are just doing the official paperwork, and she REALLY wanted a ceremony to make it official. She's put together everything in less than 3 weeks, and so far the tab is under $2000. Not bad! During the week, next week, I'll be doing lots of the craft stuff that's needed. There will definitely be pictures. I look GOOD in the dress. It makes me look thinner for some reason.

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Quick side note: Hubby just called me at work to tell me that the Internet at the house is dead, either from an area outage or the modem is broken, and since he can't work he has swept the garage and kitchen. And he may be doing some more cleaning. And did I have anything that I wanted cleaned. And he was done reading a book that I want to read. And....(Can you tell he was bored?)
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Meari was nice enough to tag me for the 7 Things meme.
Here are the rules:
Each player starts with 7 random facts/habits about themselves.
People who are tagged need to write on their own blog about their seven things, as well as these rules.
You need to choose 7 people to get tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they have been tagged and to read your blog!

1. I'm the white sheep of the family, in the way of coloring. Mom, one brother, and my sister have brown hair/brown eyes and dark complexion. Dad has black hair/blue eyes and dark complexion. The other brother has brown hair/green eyes and dark complexion. I have blond hair (although it get darker as get older) and blue/green eyes and burn in the sun in under 30 minutes flat.
2. Those blue/green eyes of mine. they are not hazel. They are chameleon eyes, apparently inherited from grandma. Depending on my mood, my eyes change color from every shade of green to every shade of blue. When my eyes turn a certain shade of green, hubby starts dancing around the house.
3. I have never known what I wanted to be when I grew up. I always hated those assignments in Elementary school. I usually just chose something random, and it changed every year.
4. My favorite birthday present ever was when my mom would take me to a book store and tell me that she'll let me know when to stop. I always walked out with at least 5 bags of books. And I had all of them read by the end of summer vacation. (My birthday is at the beginning of summer vacation.)
5. Out of all household chores, I dislike doing the dishes the most. But I love cooking!
6. Def Leppard is my favorite band of all time. I've bought some of their albums several times because I wore them out; records, then tapes, and a couple of the CDs. (Yes, i have worn out a CD)
7. In my 20 years of driving, I have owned 3 cars; and all made it past the 10 years mark before had to be replaced. Well the first two were totaled in car accidents. The third one has 150,000ish miles on it and is still going.

CALGON!!! TAKE ME AWAY!!!

Here I am functioning on 3 (possibly 2) hours of sleep. The key word here is: functioning. My eyes feel like a sand pit, but I have my wits about me. One of these days I might even talk to my doctor about this.

I've tried everything. Warm milk, no caffeine after a certain time, no caffeine at all, working out, OTC sleeping pills, even something my hubby suggested that makes our daughter say "Ewww" when we talk about it (yes, sex); nothing is working. And I'm usually always happy to sleep after sex.

Does this mean I'm getting something productive done? Nope! I can't even get some decent reading done because 95% of the characters in the book are whiny brats! Ugh, I wish I could just NOT finish a book sometime. Seriously, it took me 5 years to read one book, because it was so badly written. I kept hoping that at some point it would get better. I'm like that with movies too. I'll tell you about the movie I paid 50 cents to see and then asked for my money back, sometime.
So no reading, no writing, no TV, no stitching. Mainly just sticking to music and meditating. I figure if I can't get the sleep, I'll relax my body as much as possible and maybe trick it into sleeping. Boy have I come up with some interesting video concepts from this time spent inside my mind.

P.S. Still trying to find C's birthday pictures.

Happy Birthday!!!

Once again I feel old, but funnily, not as old as I did last year.

No it's not my birthday (at least not for another 21 days). It was my daughter's on the 20th of April. And she is officially a teenager, 13. Yes, I'm late writing about it, but we're still recovering. She had her friends over for a costume party (dress as your favorite anime character) where they danced and sang karaoke, and ate...a lot, no body image issues with these girls!
I have to say the best part of the party was at the beginning; a conversation with my brother.

Bro: Where you going?
Me (as I'm putting on socks and shoes): Away from here.
Bro: For the whole party?
Me: Yep.
Bro: Why?!
Me: There's going to be fourteen 13-year-old girls here. I do NOT want to be around for THAT!!
Bro (with stunned and scared look on his face): Me neither. Can I come?

I started laughing so hard at this point, he knew that I was joking with him. But really, I wish I had the camera in my hand to catch that look. It was priceless!

Now I have a picture of the Birthday Girl somewhere around here.....
Oh well, I'll add it in as soon as I find it.

What a girl needs...

Over on Donna of Quilt Pixie's blog I saw a meme that has me in giggles.

In Google search you put your first name and the word "needs" (without the quotation marks).

Here are some the results...

• Lisa needs braces
• Lisa needs a tree
• Lisa needs to more clearly communicate to clients
• Lisa needs to handler lower conditions
• Lisa needs a job!
• Lisa Needs Help
• Lisa needs work
• Lisa needs to think

This is just the first two pages of results. The braces were repeated....a lot. The tree is my favorite.

And what do I want?
Apparently many very naughty things my children are not allowed to read about. And with lots of people too.

What happened to my Sci-Fi Friday?!?

I can understand putting in replacement shows until the season returns. I happen to like Jake 2.0 the first time I saw it, and the reruns are fun. But to move Battlestar Galactica to Sunday!!! Although it looks like their leading with their new show The Dresdin Files, so I can see why they are doing it. Lead with a new, then give the veiwers their Starbuck and Apollo.

I'm starting to go through new SciFi withdrawal. It'd be one thing if there was some decent movies on during the "off" part of the season, but I'm having to make do with Enterprise reruns (not so bad, as I didn't watch the first time around) .

This weekend Sci-Fi played their movie "Grendel". Hubby was all keen to watch, as he loves all thing norse related. He was even willing to forgive the horn on the helmet, and butchering the Beowulf story (artistic licencing and all). However, when they put Roman architecture on the screen and call it a Viking longhall, the channel got changed very quickly. I'm amazed he even lasted those 15 minutes.

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LOL
Hubby just sent me a picture I'd like to share. It's titled "Why Men Need Post-Its":

Inanity and responses and stash

First the inanity. I actually laughed at this...
Industry money may bias drink studies

Well...DUH!


And the responses:
Rachel: No worries! I got the comments all sorted out.

Meari:
Someone on one of the yahoo groups reported what she received in her first batch of beads from the European Cross Stitch Company Bead Collectors Club.
Delicas-1 Tube Gold, 1 Tube Green, 1 Tube Lilac, 1 Tube turquoise, and 1 Tube Cobalt, and a Mixture of 2 colors of Swavorski bicones in Light Sapphire and Cobalt.
My own finances are the ONLY thing keeping me from breaking the project challenge. Well that and the amount of beads my mom has. If I ever want to get creative,I'll go by her place first. I wonder if she can get delicas wholesale too?
As for keeping track of the floss colors, I'm parking them in the next spot they are used in the 10 space column (parking method). And I double check the color to the symbol when I pick one up to start stitching with it. I'm considering gridding after I'm done with this page, to help with the counting over (150 to the left, 300 up...opps miscount!)

Michele: Yes, the sampler is going very fast. I was actually surprised how far I had gotten on it after I really looked at it after the 10 hr block. Of course, working with the silks is an absolute joy too!


And lastly the stash! I received this from Deb for PALS January color exchange. There was another DMC color too (820), but I had put everything away before I took the picture, and I just realized as I was inserting the picture that I forgot to pull it back out.

libhita

Only because I'm killing time until my flight leaves

1. Weeks :: 7


2. Cough :: sick


3. Jail :: time


4. Produced :: made


5. ? :: !


6. Stapler :: pen


7. Next :: forward


8. Perky :: not


9. Oxygen :: Hydrogen


10. Musical :: Comedy

BEWARE: The Lorena Bobit Virus

It turns you hard drive into a 3.5 inch floppy.


Joke courtesy of SciFi Channel's Eureka.