Back to work

Yes, I am back in the working world. Just in time, because I had to file an unemployment extension to get me through the last two weeks. I am working as a training director at a local not for profit organization. It is the same type job I had before I made the biggest mistake of my life job move at the beginning of the year. For all of you who need a reminder of the job from hell take a look and the archives from January through March. I am making significantly less than I did in the job from hell, but not much less that my previous position. I am meeting some nice people and I have a huge office and free lunch. The job is close to home, casual and flexible. So things are looking up.
On the knitting front I am working on the Through the Loops Socktoberfest Sock http://www.throughtheloops.typepad.com/designs/ It's an interesting pattern, far from vanilla.

Keeping with the Halloween spirit

Your Halloween Costume Should Be

A Girl Scout

What Should You Be For Halloween?

How appropriate. Happy Halloween!

Friday funnies

Columbus day weekend...fall is here

Fall is offically here. I mark the beginning of the fall by my birthday, which was 3 days ago. I love the fall, the colors, the apples and yesterday was the most beautiful day 70 degrees and the brightest blue sky ever.
Enjoy the weekend.

Your Autumn Test Results

You are a energetic, warm, optimistic person. You approach everything with a lot of enthusiasm. When you're happiest, you are outgoing and expressive . You love celebrations, and you enjoy showing off a little. You prefer change to come slowly. You need a long transition period when your life changes. You find solitude to be the most comforting thing in the world. Being alone with your thoughts feels very peaceful. Your ideal day is active and full. You like to keep busy with your favorite things, and you appreciate a routine. You tend to live in the moment. You enjoy whatever is going on, and you don't obsess over the past or future.

The Autumn Test

I've been busy...

I have been so busy with stuff the last few weeks that I have not had a moment to myself. So here is a quick rundown of the past few weeks:
DD#2 turned 14 and DS turned 10 a couple of weeks ago, my how time flies!!
DD#1 tore her hip flexor...ouch... and is out of soccer for the season. Her best friend is the ice pack. Her worst enemy is the physical therapist who she sees twice a week.
My in-laws celebrated their 50th anniversary with a surpize party at my house over the weekend.

Boy, don't they look happy.
So we had 40 or so folks, most of whom we did not know, to our yard for dinner on Saturday night. My DH was a good host while I tended the to the food and drink.
Finally knitting and work. Well I am making progress on my knitting. I started a simple cadigan for a 3 year old lady last week. Nothing exotic, just a seed stitch border in purple with lime green for the body. It should be cute and functional.
Work - I have had a few promising interviews, one even checked references, but no solid offers. It is getting rather depressing. But I will survive.

Food for thought

Shamelessly stolen from an old friend.
Bold the stuff you've tried.

1. Venison
2. Nettle Tea
3. Huevos Ranchero
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese Fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht Hot and cold
10. Baba Ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich
14. Aloo Gobi
15. Hot Dog from Street Car
16. Epoisses
17. Black Truffle
18. Fruit wine made with something other than grapes - not so fond of this. ever.
19. Steamed pork buns - OMG yes. all dim sum all the time, if I could.
20. Pistachio Ice Cream
21. Heirloom Tomatoes
22. Wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and Beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de Leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi
32. Clam chowder
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Cottage Cheese - I would rather starve
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream with tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat's milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth $120 or more -
46. Fugu
47. Chicken Tikki Masala
48. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
49. Chutney
50. Sea Urchin
51. Prickly Pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald's Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob Chips
61. S'mores - once a girl scout always a girl scout
62. Sweet Breads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs' legs
67. Churro
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain the chips are addicting
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie - please. can anyone honestly answer no to this? really?
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini - yum on a hot day
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe Beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft Shell Crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole Pablano
96. Bagel and Lox
97. Lobster - born, raised and still living in MA what do you think?
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

Enough said...

How did I do all of this when I was working?

OK, so here was my week...
Tuesday - design invite for in-laws 50th. Get boy off bus, pick up spouse (we are down to 1 car for the time being), pick up girls at school, talk oldest into team pasta party (you only need to make an appearance) work from 6 - 9 at the Y (that was a disaster, but a story for an other time) and hope that dad worked with the boy to get homework done.
Wednesday - run around town to get soccer uniform, card stock for invites, cub scout hand book, lunch with DH, get call from youngest daughter to find out that she has been called up to play with older sister, so I MUST drive 40 minutes to the game, go to game, get home at 7, dinner, homework and drop into bed.
Thursday - I got a call to work, thankfully DH could get the boy off the bus. Worked, dropped DH off at work, picked up girls at school, boy to practice, while he was at practice I went to school open house, pick him up, drop oldest off at friend's house, feed youngest, do homework, pick up oldest, practice spelling with the boy, put him to bed and pick up DH.
Thank God it is Friday, all I have to do is pick up a birthday gift, work, get DH, drop off at the birthday party and crash. Grampa is helping with the kids today. Thanks
So it seems that I have no time to knit. I am hoping for rain over the weekend so I will be trapped in the house knitting and reading other wise it will be games and the Sterling Fair.

Summer is offically over

The kids are back in school. Back to homework, clubs, sports and scouts.

You are a Black Coffee

At your best, you are: low maintenance, friendly, and adaptable At your worst, you are: cheap and angsty You drink coffee when: you can get your hands on it Your caffeine addiction level: high

What Kind of Coffee Are You?

SPS question of the week

What Olympic event would best describe your knitting style?
This summer I think it would be the marathon. I keep going and going and it just seems to take forever, but eventually it will get done.
Thanks goes out to my pal as I got a sweet little package over the weekend.

August ... thank God

July was an absolutly horrible month for me. My cat died mid-month, he was hit by a car and when my husband went to go retreive him a few hours later he was gone. I hope my neighbor did not bury him in the dumpster. The following week a dear friend and mother of three, Maureen, died. She had undergone some surgery for a broken ankle and had a blood clot that she did not know about. My youngest dd was really hurt by this news. She would always play soccer on the parent's side of the field to talk with Maureen during the games. Finally my dog Bailey passed away. My husband and I know that it was more than lyme disease. The poor boy spent the 5 last days of his life all bloated from his ribs to his hips. He was buried in the yard and my husband visits him every morning.
No news on the job front. I had an interview at Girl Scouts last week where the director of HR dismissed me after 10 minutes because she thought that the salary that they were willing to pay would not meet my needs. I am getting frustrated in that I get interviews but then no calls or thank you for your time letters.
As for knitting, I feel like I have kind of lost my mojo for now. I have not had much interest. I know it would be good for me to get my mind on something other than misery, but I am so lacking motivation.
I am glad to be done with July. I am hoping that August brings good news and good fortune. I will keep you posted.

SP 12 question of the Week

I know that I have not been doing well keeping up on my SP12 questions of the week, but this one was quite timely. This week's question is that knitting project do you take on vacation with you?
I was at the beach in Maine last week and I brought my sock and the felted bag that I was working on. Working on a wool at the beach am I crazy? No I was knitting the i-cord strap. Mindless knitting for the beach.
Enjoy the summer.

yes, I am still alive

I am surviving wihtout in home technology. It's not fun, but it works for now.
Knitting
OTN - I have the origami bag from Ann Budd's bag book. I also have some rolling rock socks from sock bug going too. I got a lot of knitting done last week as I took the train into Boston for an interview. On the ride home there was a medical emergency that delayed the train for an hour. I learned that I am a control freak and I like to come and go as I please. So working in Boston and taking the training is not for me.
My very sweet yellow lab got diagnosed with lyme disease last week. The poor dog is so sick and all he wants to do is to lay out in the shade of the yard. So I sit out with him and knit.
On the job front - still in a holding pattern with a number of jobs. I get in and get an interview, but then I don't hear a thing.
Plans for this week. My oldest is in Maine with a friend for the week, so I will take the other two up for a day trip sometime soon. I do love York Beach, ME it's small, safe and clean.

Still in a holding pattern

Yes folks I am still in a holding pattern and the folks at the local library are my new best friends. The children are going through Facebook with drawls and I am struggling with the online job search. Yes, life without a computer is difficult, but doable and the library has air conditioning.
So, what has life been like this month? There have been 2 main topics for the month - kids and job hunt.
Job hunt - I have had a number of job interviews. That is good, no offers but I expect some soon. I have a couple of interview frustrations, first is going for an interview and never hearing one way or an other. The other is pumping $20 of gas in the car and driving an hour for an interview that when you get there you find out that you are not remotely interested in the job. Why can't they pre-screen you over the phone?
Kids - They got out of school on June 12th and the oldest went to OR to visit her aunt. By week 2 of vacation the younger kids were "BORED!" So the saint that runs the local day camp where the oldest works cut us a deal and the young ones are happy in camp.
Knitting - Well after all this did start as a knitting blog. I have some beautiful 100% wool that I am waiting for the perfect felted bag pattern for. I also have the rolling rocks socks on the needles, but they are not going as fast as I would like.
I hope everyone has a happy and safe Fourth of July!

We interupt this blog

We had a really horrible thunder storm last week. It woke up the whole house, knocked out the power and fried our home computer. So for the moment I am working around the limited town library schedule for computer time until we get a new one.

Secret Pal question of the week June 12

Revelry is posting a SP12 question of the week and the question for this week is...
What is your favorite summer drink? It has to be Sam Adams Summer Ale. Yum! Clean, fresh and goes well with burgers and lobster.

Secret Pal Swap 12 Questionaire

Last spring I was in my first and last swap. I did not have a good experience. My angel was wonderful and lavished me with gifts, but I know I did not have the full swap experience. So a year later I decided to try an other one - the tried and true Secret Pal Swap. As with all swaps here is my questionaire
1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I knit a lot of socks and I really like natural fibers. Right now I have some bamboo yarn on the needles. Oh so soft! I do not like fun fur or any yarn with the word fun in it i.e. novelty yarn.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
A zip lock bag

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
Mom taught me to knit when I was about 10. I did not pick it up regularly until about 2 years ago. I am an intermediate knitter who is willing to ask questions if I get stuck.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
Nope

5. What's your favorite scent?
Citris

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
Chocolate

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
I don't spin, I know if I start I would be hooked. Right now I don't have a lot of time to do other crafts. Maybe in the summer when things slow down.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
I am a child of the 80's, but I am open to anything, but disco and cheesy pop music.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
I am open to almost any color that is not radioactive - no neon brights please.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I am married with 3 kids - 2 daughters 16 and 13 (God help me) and a 9 year old son. We have a cat and dog. The dog is a retired service dog, a very sweet lab.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
I will wear scarves and mittens, both with and without fingers.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
I love socks. They come in so many different patterns and I can take them anywhere. They also look so impressive to the non-knitters.

13. What are you knitting right now?
Embossed leaves from Favorite Socks.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
Sure

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
I prefer circular

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
No

17. How old is your oldest UFO?
About 9 months

18. What is your favorite holiday?
I would have to be Christmas. It's a lot of work, but everyone is so happy.

19. Is there anything that you collect?
No

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
I do not subscribe to any knitting mag. I would love a copy of Bird in Hand mitts.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
Magic Loop

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
I am a basic size 8 1/2 medium shoe

23. When is your birthday?
October 7th

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID?
knitpurlmom

Where have I been?

I find that by not being at work I do not blog. I read other blogs but I do not write. So here is the reader's digest condensed version of the last 6 weeks.
On the knitting end of thing I finished my noro jaywalkers. They are a little big, so they may be going to my sister. I started and finished a clapitos and I finished on sock in the embossed leaves pattern from Favorite Socks. I am about 90% done with a scarf for the third grade teacher. All I have to knit in the next 3 weeks is a couple of wash cloths for teacher gifts.
On the work front - my old company had a full time opening, but they felt like I was not qualified for it. I interviewed for a state job that I was more than qualified for, but did not get. I have an interview scheduled for tomorrow and a second interview scheduled for Monday. I have been offered some fee for service at the Red Cross, which I can start in the next couple of weeks, one my backround check comes back.
So what else I have I been doing? I play maid and taxi to the kids and that is getting old fast.

I'm free

Yes, I have been freed from my job in hell. I had a meeting with HR on Thursday, March 20 and all my work was done so I was free to go. What a relief, but it really hasn't sunk in because I have been so busy. My first full day off was Good Friday which was a busy day getting ready for the holiday weekend. The kids and I spent Easter at my brothers with his wife and youngest son. We all had a good time catching up on this and that.
I have vowed that I will not waste this time off. I am looking but I am also finding time for myself. The LYS, The Sheep Shack, had a 20% off sale last week and I treated myself to some bamboo yarn for socks and a Clapotis. I will take pictures of my fo for my notebook in ravelry and for my blog. I will walk the dog for at least 1 mile per day and I will do yoga 3 times a week. I also promised myself that I will find a job that suits me, not just one to pay the bills. I would love to wait until the fall to look for work so that I can enjoy some time with the kids but I don't think that it is the best thing to do. So I am off to send out some resumes.

A new chapter

I met with HR on Friday and she gave me the news, some good and some bad - I will be off the books on April 3, but I will have health insurance through May 31. I do feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders, I slept much better on Friday night. I need to work this week, this should be interesting. No manager in my department has made eye contact with me since Tuesday, so the next week should be interesting. Time to step up the job search.