Anniversa-Wii!
Posted by: cut the cord on: October 16, 2008
This weekend was pumpkin weekend! Jason and I took Jakob to a pumpkin patch in Great Falls – although, to be honest, I would have gone whether Jake wanted to come or not… it just so happened that I was watching him while our dad and Allison had an anniversary date so I planned my pumpkin festivities around that time on purpose! I am, however, glad that he came because I would have felt silly to ride in the hayride without a little kid with me. But again, I would have gone anyway and just ignored the strange looks! I can’t get enough of autumn fun! Jake seemed to really enjoy himself – I told him he could pick the biggest pumpkin he could carry and he had fun testing his strength trying to find the biggest he could handle! He ended up with a 20 pound pumpkin! I also got two little pumpkins – one for my office work space and one for the apartment – and one gourd for the apartment, as well as a butternut squash and some pumpkin butter! Yum! The following is by far the best picture I took – this is him struggling to carry the biggest pumpkin he can (and yes, this is the one he ended up with)!
Knitting updates: I finished the Randy Man’s doggie sweater, started Lane’s legwarmies, and also started my first stocking! I started with mine first because I wanted to make sure if I screwed up while learning to do the color work that it would be on my stocking and not someone else’s! I am not a huge fan of the yellow – not going to lie. But, it is the color that is leftover after each of my family members get their favorite colors: Dad – red, Al – green, Jake – blue. I thought about making mine orange instead of yellow… but I think it probably would have clashed with the other colors and it’s not particularly holiday-ish 
I’m a little mad because I followed the pattern as it was written… and then realized there were some corrections to it… so the first row of leaves are a bit mushed. But actually.. I think that the mistake was my own, not the pattern’s. I refuse to rip them out, though. It doesn’t look bad. But now I don’t know whether I should make all of the stockings with that mistake to make them match or if I should correct the others. Ah! Difficult decisions! Any thoughts? What would you do?
Randy Man’s Sweater:
I have gotten in touch with my Back Tack partner, Bridget, and am really excited about getting to know her and sending her fun packages! I really love putting packages together for people. This is going to be great!
As of Tuesday, Jason and I have been together for four years!!! Crazy! We bought a Wii together this weekend to celebrate – we call it our Anniversa-wii! We played some boxing, which has a dodging game where a trainer throws balls at you… and I am HORRIBLE at it. My score was negative three. Yes, negative. We were both laughing hysterically while playing it… What a hilarious game.
i’m an auntie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: cut the cord on: October 10, 2008
Last night Emily gave birth to Baby Belle: offically Esme Amelia Bell! I’m not sure on the spelling – but I’ll find out soon enough 
I’m so excited!!!!!!!!! Jason and I will be sending a care-package her way with her little ditty and a little stuffed monkey. Mrs. Linda and Mr. Terry went down last night and Jason had them bring the gift we bought a zillion years ago for her – the book Diary of a Wombat (and I printed out the inspiration for the story which is just about the cutest thing ever) and a little stuffed doggie. Because really? Every child should have a stuffed doggie (yes, I still sleep with mine) and that book (yes, I own it for myself). I found it in Australia and fell in love with it and I will now be gifting it to everyone I know who has a baby!
excitement!
Posted by: cut the cord on: October 9, 2008
#1 – Baby Coffey Bean (Ella) got her sweater! Her mama said that she had her wearing it just recently and is going to send me pictures!
#2 – I got a package today!
It’s my yarn for my family’s stockings!
#3 – After I came back into my apt, the doorman came and gave me ANOTHER package! One of my shipments of yarn from China came today!
I have no idea what I’m going to make with them… but they’re massive!
#4 – MOST EXCITING OF ALL!!! Baby Belle is on the way! Apparently, she is breech, so Emily is scheduled for a C-section at 5 pm – in MINUTES!!!! I’ll be an auntie!!!!
little ditty
Posted by: cut the cord on: October 8, 2008
I have put a pause on my knitting the past couple of days because my fingers/hands/wrists have been hurting. However, I DID whip up this cute little ditty this weekend for Baby Belle (who has yet to be born… but will be here any day now!!!!): 
I spent over $200 on yarn on Monday – crazy. I bought enough to make four stockings for my family – one each for my dad, Allison, Jake, and me. It’ll be my first true color working! These will be their Christmas presents (although I’ll give them to them early for obvious reasons – maybe for Hannukah if that happens to fall before Christmas) and I am SO excited to make them and give them to them. We have always had store-bought stockings – so I wanted to make home-made ones for them!
I also bought enough yarn to make three shawls – I plan to make one for Mrs. Linda, one for Allison, and one for myself (I’ve never knitted something for myself). I won’t start on those until after Christmas unless I happen to have extra time (ha). And then I got yarn for Lane’s legwarmies and lady bug mittens – yay!
Jason and I are applying to be on “It’s Me Or the Dog” – it would be a dream come true if we actually got on it!
blue or green?
Posted by: cut the cord on: October 3, 2008
Today was the first morning that I walked Rufus and was actually still cold when I walked back inside. It’s finally autumn! Yay! I LOVE the crisp, cold air. I love the smell of it and the way it makes you able to see your breath. Ah, October is seriously the best month of the year. I love it. There are pumpkins and orange things everywhere! And the leaves change and fall (I had a dream about a big, beautiful tree full of beautiful leaves in vivid oranges and yellows and reds)! Nevermind my allergies (I’m allergic to mold, so the falling leaves that then mold make me crazy itchy/sneezy) – I could care less! Then November rolls around with Thanksgiving and the beauty continues. And then it’s the holiday season – yay for holiday cheer!
I just found this color IQ test on How About Orange. I’d just like to say that my score was zero – which is the best possible score. Yes, that’s right – I got a PERFECT score. So to those of you who have made fun of me for thinking that certain hues are GREEN not BLUE, I think you should take this. Then again, it’s probably just a perception thing. Anyway, here it is: FM 100 Hue Test.
My score:
- Your score: 0
- Gender: Female
- Age range: 20-29
- Best score for your gender and age range: 0
- Highest score for your gender and age range: 1410
Also, Rufus got that sock yet AGAIN last night! As I was getting into bed and the door was open, he ran in and then ran out… with my sock. I finally got enough sense to put it on top of a dresser instead of the floor. Ha!
oh, Rufus…
Posted by: cut the cord on: October 2, 2008
This is why Rufus is just about as much trouble as a 2 year old:
This was my sock from Australia… which was made in Nepal… but nevermind that.
My socks are no more! I left the bedroom door open for literally 30 seconds – SECONDS! – and he ran in and did this. He’s like a toddler – you turn your back for 2 seconds and destruction ensues.
But then you look at this face… and you just… melt. I did wack him with the sock a couple of times. Little jerk dog!
So I am nearly done with Lane’s sweater. It’s going to need to be blocked because it is HELLA wonky/stretchy.
I also just started Jason’s blanket. I have had the yarn for this for AGES. Literally, years. Let me tell you – size 50 needles are not much fun to work with. I started it the other day and stopped and ripped it out because I didn’t think I could deal with working with the needles for an entire blanket. I made a promise though… so I’m going to keep it… and I casted them back on this morning…
LARGE needles! I wasn’t keen on the colors at first, but they’re growing on me. The blanket isn’t anything complicated – I just want it to be thick and big and warm. So, it’s stockingette stitch. Nothing special.
So I logged onto ebay today… and the user I bought about $50 worth of yarn from is no longer a registered user of ebay. *Le sigh* I hope they still send the stuff. I may have to kick some asses if they don’t!!!!
This weekend is Oktoberfest in Shirlington! Wee! Katie, Louisa, and their counterparts will be in attendance. I think it’s probably going to be a little bit nutty, but fun! Rufus will NOT be in attendance, though. I think he would go nuts – not to mention, Lucky, a sweet dog on our floor apparently freaked out last year and has not been a pleasant dog around other dogs (hmm.. sounds familiar!) ever since her owner took her to the ‘fest last year. Yikes!
Also, Rufus will go to his third refresh training this weekend. I might have to go a little bit nuts when we get there. I did not pay over $800 to have my dog be trained for two weeks and STILL freak out when he comes across other dogs. I am not happy. That is what I wanted fixed/worked on and it is not even close to being any better. It is so frusturating – especially when we live in such a dog-friendly area. He can’t go in the dog parks, he can’t sit out with us at restaurants… and worst of all, we DREAD walking him. I love taking walks and I want to enjoy walking him and go for nice long ones but I can’t because he is too much trouble. It’s sad and frusturating. Hopefully his trainer will have some advice that will actually work….
DUMB! SO, SO DUMB!!!!
Posted by: cut the cord on: September 30, 2008
I know I just wrote a post but….
Oh. My. God. I just realized something: When I got rid of stuff to Good Will when I was cleaning out my old room, I gave away a scarf made out of REALLY cool yarn and an old sweater. I am so mad at myself now I don’t know what to do!!!! I gave them away because I never really wore either of them anymore. The sweater was obviously worn to death and was all fuzz-balled up… and the scarf was kind of not really “professional” – it was really big and bulky. It just kind of pulled onto everything I wore. I think it was like… unspun or something. I have a zillion scarves and I just didn’t want to have a million of them anymore so I decided to give two of them away… and that was one of them.
I just realized that I threw away could-have-been projects. GAH!!!!!
I am trying to breathe. Iiiiiinnnnnnn and ooooouuuuuttttttt….. I am trying to think good thoughts… just thinking about my package that awaits me at home… could be pretty new yarn…
GAH!!!!!!!! SO MAD!!!!!!!!!!
Giving is FUN!
Posted by: cut the cord on: September 30, 2008
I am going to participate in my very first craft-swap! I learned about it through the blog Six and a Half Stitches (which I LOVE reading) and am REALLY excited about it! I have ideas for each of the three things already. Yay!
Sunday was a complete success – Louisa, Katie, and Jessica were all able to make it to my place for girls’ knitting night in! We ordered pizza, chatted, and knitted up a storm! Rufus LOVES Katie – when he wasn’t leaping up into her lap (which was a problem because she was just learning how to purl and was a bit shaky about it), he was trying to hump her. And when he wasn’t humping her, he was looking at her and humping the air! MY DOG IS CRAZY!!!!! Luckily, she didn’t care – none of the girls did. But I was embarrassed. He was not very polite!!!! Not to mention he kept trying to bite everyone’s yarn. Silly, silly boy. I am excited about continuing to do these kinds of nights. It was a lot of fun!
So the sweater that was meant for Baby Belle is very large. I got Lane’s measurements from Jessica and it turns out it is JUST her size. So… it’s going to go to Lane. Leslie (Lane’s mama and also my boss) doesn’t know that I’m making it, so it’ll be a surprise! And the coolest thing about it? When I originally saw the pattern I wanted to make it for Lane but did not know how to alter the pattern to make it big enough for her (she wears about a 2 year old size). So, in addition to the little baby legwarmers and cute lady bug mittens (with a string attaching them) that Leslie knows I’m making for Lane, she will also get a surprise sweater! I’m super excited about them!
I just got Randy’s measurements from Senta so I can start on his sweater soon, too. She said she wanted to pay for the materials, so I asked her to pay it forward to my Light the Night Walk fund for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society since I am not anywhere close to my final goal. I should have thought of knitting for the cause a lot earlier… but I can’t imagine many people I know that I haven’t already made something for actually want anything.
I cannot wait to get home – when I walked out this morning I saw that there was a package key sticking out of my mailbox! I didn’t have time to pick it up this morning, so I’m wondering what it is. It is either yarn or needle sets (double pointed and circular needles sizes 1-15). I really hope it is the yarn – I can’t wait to see what it looks like! The yarn I ordered is my first non-chain craft store purchase. They are all home dyed and looked beautiful in the pictures. I. CANNOT. WAIT!!!! I’m starting to get a little bit obsessed about yarn. I’ve been surfing Etsy and have been holding myself back from buying more. But I really want to…
It is supposed to get cold outside starting tonight. I am so happy! I need to get cracking on legwarmers for myself!
Cleaning my old room out took about 4 hours. I threw away about 4 garbage bags of crap, and brought another 6 bags of things to Good Will. I didn’t bring much into my apartment, thank goodness. That was the idea! I feel extremely accomplished.
TOMORROW IS OCTOBER – HURRAY!!!! The best month of the year!!!! I need to get some pumpkins!!!!!
Knitting Update!
Posted by: cut the cord on: September 26, 2008
I am finding more and more blogs about people who love knitting too! It’s so great to read along and see other people’s projects. I’ve just started a list of the blogs I love to read – so a special shout-out to all of those bloggers! I am not nearly as accomplished as any of you, but with a little time I hope to be someday!
Last week I accomplished two knitting projects:
First – Ella Grace’s baby kimono sweater. Cute, no? I hope it fits her – at least for a few weeks! I sent it out yesterday so I hope it gets there soon! I’m really excited for them to get it!
Second – Monsieur Peen. Last Friday was Louisa’s birthday. Jessica and I plotted and were excited for days on end to give her her beautiful home-made presents, Monsieur Peen and Wombie Doll! I made Monsieur and Jessica made the womb – it was supposed to be the other way around but the womb was a bit challenging for me. I could have done it, but we were pressed for time, so Monsieur was my best bet. If you knew Louisa you would know just how perfect these are for her – she LOVED them!
Now I’m working on Baby Belle’s sweater jacket. I gave up on the other sweater I was doing for her – it just didn’t turn out how I wanted so I’ll frog it later. This one is looking much better – it’s definitely not newborn size, but the idea was for it to go OVER other things like a jacket. It’s going to be precious if it turns out right! I was under the impression that I had all the time in the world, but October is next week! It snuck up on me! Apparently, Emily thinks the baby is coming this weekend – she’s due in 2 weeks. I think I can get it done in time, and if not, it’ll be shortly after her birth. I am so excited for her to be born!!!
Next on the list: a sweater for Senta’s doggie, Randy. She is going to give me his measurements today. Yay! Apparently, her boys are really excited.
I am also going to knit Rufus another sweater for when he is indoors. Jason likes the apartment cold (like, no heat on at all – he likes keeping the windows open in the winter). The only time we ever turned the heat on last year was when we were going to have guests and then after we got Rufus. We’ll probably still keep the place at about 70 this winter… which means Rufus will need a sweater! His outdoor one is already getting dirty (leaves are stuck in it) and destroyed (his leash has pulled at the stitching) so I’ll let that one get destroyed outdoors and knit him up a cute one for being indoors. I’m planning to keep it longer – like a blanket. I’m not going to worry about keeping it shorter in the back (so he can pee) because he doesn’t need to pee in the house (or that’s the idea, anyway!). I found an adorable pattern for a long-sleeved turtle neck. I’ll just need to find some nice yarn now. SO EXCITED!
I’m making a secret surprise for Jason as well – I ordered the supplies I need already. Speaking of supplies – I also bought a set of double pointed needles and a set of circular needles – sizes 1-15 of both! I’m going to need some serious help with keeping them straight so I’ve requested my x-mas present from Mrs. Linda already – needle storage bags! Since I can’t sew, I’m hoping she’ll make some for me! Yay! And… lastly, I also bought lots of yarn off of ebay… I’m really excited to get it!
In other non-knitting-related news, this weekend I will be cleaning out my room at my parents’ house. Not looking forward to that. There isn’t that much left there – it’s mostly just the stuff that I didn’t want to deal with – the crap you don’t want to pitch but don’t want to have to deal with either – the stuff you just want to shove in a box and store! Except that I have no storage space… so I’m going to have to pitch or give things away. This could take a really LONG time or practically no time at all. It just depends on how much I’m willing to say, “meh, I don’t care about this” and throw things away. I despise going through old crap. UGH!
the 7 things i hate about you!
Posted by: cut the cord on: September 22, 2008
Okay, so the title lies, but that stupid song as been stuck in my head (why, oh why?) BUT! Here is a list of 7 things I learned this weekend:
- The pizza man comes straight to our door in this place – in the last place we had to run down and let him into the complex which was annoying – so this is excellent news!
- I am a knitting fiend. I can’t stop knitting lately. Ever since I started knitting more difficult things I have been loving it again.
- Rufus likes beer. A lot. No, I did not give him any. He just kept trying to get Jason’s bottle and Would. Not. Stop. And then when Jason told his mom about it, his mom informed us that a beer bottle got knocked over at the lake when they were watching him and he was doing his damnedest to get his tongue into the bottle! Crazy, crazy dog.
- He likes spaghetti even more though. He goes INSANE over it.
- The O.C. is such a good show. Seriously, it’s funny and it’s good… and it’s addicting. When nothing else is on TV, I watch it. Investing in all of the seasons on DVD was probably the best DVD purchase I’ve ever made.
- It is painful to throw out someone’s security blanket/toy/whatever. But Rufus’ blanket smelled SO BAD that I had to. I was washing it every week and it would stink again in a matter of days. Then he would stink because of it so it really had to go. I already bought him a new one and the old one was all chewed up anyway! And yet, it really hurt me to do it. I felt SO BAD!!!
- The smell of burnt popcorn and then non-burnt popcorn on top of it is the worst thing to wake up to. I swore someone had thrown up cheerios all over my breathing space. It was 1 am and yet it was driving me so nuts that I got up to figure out where the smell was coming from (because Jason was laughing hysterically at me because he could not smell it when I kept saying, “It smells like cheerios! Or cheerios throw-up! Can’t you smell it?!? How can you not? It’s SO STRONG!?!” and that made me feel like I was going crazy). So when I yelled that it was even stronger in the main space of our apartment he then thought to mention that he had eaten popcorn. I don’t know what brand it was… but EW it smelled so BAD!!! And that, technically, was this morning (Monday) at 1 am so that concludes my thoughts for the weekend!
A 20-Something Belle
Blogging consists of the most important and exciting bits and pieces of life: Rufus - my 15-pound Jackahuahua, love, planning a wedding, and an awful lot of knitting.
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