Monday, February 25, 2008

Saturday, February 16, 2008

a PSA

at the request of the (very well fed & spoiled) critters of the studio house, we would like to post this for critters everywhere . . .


Humorous Pictures
moar humorous pics

thank you very much.

Friday, February 15, 2008

update

my mother was admitted to the hospital yesterday with a fever (102.5) and abdominal pain. they were concerned that she had Diverticulitis, so they ran a CT scan. this morning her temperature had dropped to a normal range, and the doctors don't think that she needs surgery. they did however confirm that she had Diverticulitis, so they're keeping her in the hospital for a couple of days for IV antibiotics. she's doing well. we tried to get her flowers on the way over to the hospital yesterday, but that turned out to be a small disaster seeing as it was Valentine's Day. this morning I got her some roses and took them to her hospital room before I went to work.

thank you to everyone who has been praying!

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Monday, February 11, 2008

sunday morning

I thought I was fine until I walked into church yesterday morning.

or had it together anyway.

since we've been in the new building, there is a period of time before the morning service when we have open worship & prayer time. the songs are a little softer, and if you want to talk you can step out into the cafe area and find a table. well, as soon as I walked into the sanctuary the waterworks started. but that's the thing about our church - it isn't the place where you have to try to save face by pulling it all together or acting the part, it's the place where we all come and love each other when we're a mess and life hurts. it didn't used to be so much. then years ago this pastor came in and God gave him a vision of what we wanted from that church. he got a lot of grief for that. people got mad, people left. why? because people who looked different started showing up and getting their lives changed. some guy with dreads would be sitting next to some guy in a business suit. Chinese students who barely spoke English would fill rows and anyone could walk in wearing jeans and a t-shirt. interracial families came in and joined the church. I sometimes forget that this still isn't normal.

when contact shakes you out of your supposed composure and lets you work through your hurt into healing, that's love and friendship, and most of all that's God showing us just a little of how much He loves us.

Thursday, February 07, 2008

please pray

something really really bad happened today. I can't really talk about it, except to say that it has to do with my family. so if you read this, please pray for us. I wish I could tell you more but I can't right now.

thank you.

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

concept sketches


they are really rough, but I'm working on layouts for the new banners in my Etsy shops.

props

I ordered a couple of tools from some ebay vendors friday. well, they were waiting for me at my house yesterday when I got home from work! that's the kind of service that makes monday a little better. :-)

(no, I didn't have a "case of the Monday's")

people who have their numbers blocked

shouldn't leave messages saying to call them back when they don't leave a number. or a name.

just sayin'.

Monday, February 04, 2008

ugh

I'm going to go ahead and say it . . .

I am not happy about Valentine's Day.

whether by coincidence or not, Valentines Day and I have had a very bad history. something goes wrong, something that usually has absolutely nothing to do with pink & red hearts, flowers, or chocolate. things like a four and a half hour drive taking seven. so from about the time they start covering the shelves in merchandise to Feb 14th, all of this red and pink kinda puts me in a funk. I have nothing against the holiday, or the sweethearts, or any of it. it's a really sweet little day. or I'd really like to think so anyway.

I just really wish it was the 15th already.

Saturday, February 02, 2008

knitting update

Main Street Yarns & Fibers (my LYS) just sent out their latest newsletter, and they mentioned my blog. awesome! but I've been keeping up with my projects over on Ravelry lately, and not here. oops! well, here's an update (and I'll post more projects soon!) . . .

socks, socks, and more socks . . .

I learned toe up on circulars (oh GASP, the audacity! according to some) and I love it! it's personal preference, but I like a smooth toe. I just do. also, not so fond of pattern going down the back of my heal. nothing against it in general, but just not a favorite on socks that I wear. so to each their own, but I like the short-row heel for this reason. I also tend to go for thicker socks, like this pair that I made for my dad as a Christmas present:

it's an organic cotton/merino blend by O-Wool, with ribbing going up the cuff. my one complaint about this yarn is that it gave me lots and lots of SPLINTERS. i know, that's what happens when fibers are minimally processed, but it was still painful. other than that it was pretty good, even for a cotton. and the heathering in the yarn is lovely.

there was also a second pair of socks that I made for dad's Christmas present - also a simple toe-up pattern with ribbing up the cuff. did I mention that ribbing isn't my favorite thing? I must have forgotten when I planned these.
the yarn is a hand-painted bamboo blend by chick chick studio. really lovely, and nice dimension in the solids. dad seems to be enjoying both pairs!

I'll update you more in the next few days, but for now I've got to get back to setting up my metalsmithing bench again.