Wow... It has been so long since I posted I don't even know what to say. There is too much, so let's pretend that I haven't been neglecting the blog, then there won't be a really long rambling post detailing all the mundane happenings since December 10th.

Christmas was fun, 3 days of presents and food.
I got a lot of great stuff; a stereo for my sewing room that has a dock for my iPod that allows it to charge and play at the same time! Plenty of gift cards including one for kpixie.com. (it has been so long since I posted, I have to brush up on my html for linking) And, I am coming to you live over the internet, on my own computer in my own house! My parents actually paid for a full year of internet for us! All I had to do was take the check to the office and sign my name. Very exciting to have internet again, although I am very glad I had that 4 month break from it. When I worked in an office and sat in front of the computer all day, I read blog after blog, checked ebay daily, checked my own web site stats, and bought way too much yarn. So, now that I have had a break from it, I realize I don't miss most of that stuff and now am out of the habit of reading a lot of the blogs I used to read.

The size 13 socks I was knitting were for Ryan. Christmas eve, he opened a box containing one hand knit sock and about 2 inches of the second sock, on the needles. And last night, only 2 months later, I finished the 2nd of the pair. He was very excited about the first one and now is really excited that there are two. It was pretty cute, since Christmas he's been asking me where his other sock is, when it will be done and reminding me that it isn't done and whenever he saw me knittng something other than his sock he said, "so... how's my sock coming along?" Of course I blamed him for it not being done because he has such big feet. Bella hasn't been helping either; she has already eaten two sets of 5" bamboo dpns.
Here are the socks, finished but not yet worn or washed.

And here you can see how much yarn I had left... gulp!
I am very relieved to have had enough to finish. I was really starting to worry.


I haven't really been working on any of my own stuff lately, other than just knitting along on socks. The next big adventure is going to be swapping my sewing room in the basement with the guest bedroom upstairs. Our house is a ranch style with a "finished" basement. I say "finished" because it is usable as another living room, but the drywall isn't finished and the ceiling still looks like an unfinished basement. But, off of that area is the 3rd bedroom of the house which is about 11 foot square, has berber carpeting, two very small basement style windows, no closet and I had to rig up so much lighting in there so I can see that I have to hit 5 switches when I walk in to turn everything on. The worst part of the basement room is that it is freakin' COLD down here. it has to be 10 degrees colder than the upstairs... which would put it at about 58 degrees. I'll be generous and call it 60 though. The upstairs extra bedroom is only about 9 by 10 feet, but it has two REAL windows that get great sunlight all day (they face north and west) it has a closet and some shelving, it is more convenient for work to be upstairs near the bathroom, kitchen, the front door, etc. Best of all, it will be WARM. So I want to paint in there before I move my stuff, I hope to start pulling out nails and start sanding and spackleing this week. I still can't decide on a color, I think I am going to pick out fabric for curtains first, then pick paint for the walls. Then I would also like to paint the basement room before I set up the guest room furniture in there. We'll see how that goes though, it is not a priority.

Life with Bella around has been rough. She just refuses to be potty trained. I don't understand how she can NOT be trained yet. How many times do you have to yell and, I hate to say it, smack a puppy's little butt before she gets it... NO POOP IN THE HOUSE. I don't care if we didn't SEE you do it, I don't care if you can still just barely fit under the bed, that is NOT where poop goes! Umbilical method training starts today. Whenever she is out of her crate, she will be attached to either me or Ryan by leash. She will not be out of our sight until she can learn that POOP goes OUTSIDE. She turns 5 months old tomorrow. Wish us luck...