Barbie 2006

Oh Christmas Tree Oh Christmas Tree....

....how steadfast are your branches.

Yeah, for a fake tree. After all the years of going to the tree farm and cutting a tree I decided I wanted a fake tree. Oh and it's prelit! That is the best part. No more getting dizzy going round and round with a string of lights. No more clean up. No more spiders even after the tree had been sprayed down with water. Now if they could just make them pre decorated. Well maybe not. I really do like my ornaments. I have some that are very special to me. I have a box from the 60s that are really cool and are my favorites. I started collecting Barbie ornaments for my youngest daughter thinking that maybe she would some day use them to decorate her own tree. Did not happen, keep in mind that the collection was her idea. Now I feel like I have to buy a new Barbie ornament every year. If I keep this up I will one year have a full on Barbie tree.



















By the way her tree is decorated with red, green, and gold balls. She said something about reggae.

Surfs up Saturday

Today the waves were BIG. The swells were 15 feet. It was cold and windy, but that did not stop the many people from going out onto the pier. The scary thing was that every time a wave would break, the pier would shake. Still we were all out there to view the beauty of the ocean. I do love the rain.

Here is my Saturday sky.

Saturday Sky

It is a beautiful morning here in Pismo Beach. The weather is warm today. Great day to be outdoors.

It's about time

After ten years I bought living room furniture!

When we first moved into our house my husband had to go on workers comp. He died after five years on work comp. He passed away five years ago, so that makes ten years. The kick in the butt is because my youngest daughter asked if her boyfriend's family could spend Thanksgiving at our house. My first thought was how embarrassing, the living room is empty. The dining room is in the same space so we would have been looking at a cold empty room. So I thought now is the time. It was not an easy task for me. The space is a lot smaller than it looked. There was no way I would have been able to put a full size couch, so I got a love seat and a chair and a half with an ottoman. My daughter helped pick it out because I have absolutely no taste. I need to jazz it up with some lamps an end table, window treatments, some art on the walls, and all will be good. Oh by the way I have a family room that is fully furnished, that is where we spend all our time.

I was bored

48 Things You Could Care Less About

1. FIRST NAME? Orchid
2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? No. Don't know why my mother chose my name.
3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? Two weeks ago due to work stress
4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Yes
5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCHMEAT? Ham
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Not sure, I am bad at making time for friends.
7. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? No
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? No
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Yes
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Kashi
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Never, I'm always in a hurry or maybe just lazy.
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Not physically, I became strong when my husband died
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Almond Mocha Fudge
14. SHOE SIZE? 6.5
15. RED OR PINK? Pink
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? I prograstanate
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? Bobby, my late husband
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? Sure
19. WHAT COLOR PANTS, SHIRT AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? I'm wearing PJs and no shoes.
20. LAST THING YOU ATE? Eggs for breakfast
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? The sound of me typing
22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Orchid
23. FAVORITE SMELL? My boyfriend
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My boyfriend
25. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? Hands
26. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON YOU STOLE THIS FROM? I like her blog
27. FAVORITE DRINK? Water
28. FAVORITE SPORT? Sport? I love watching MotoGP
29. EYE COLOR? Brown
30. HAT SIZE? Don't know I dont wear hats
31. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? No
32. FAVORITE FOOD? Mexican
33. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy Endings
35. SUMMER OR WINTER? Summer
36. HUGS OR KISSES? Both
37. FAVORITE DESSERT? Chocolate cake
38. WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? I don't know
39. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Don't know that either
40. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? Rumspringa
41. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE Pad? Nothing
42. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? Heroes, I love that show!
43. FAVORITE SOUNDS? Birds singing outside
44. ROLLING STONE OR BEATLES? Rolling Stones
45. THE FURTHEST YOU'VE BEEN FROM HOME? Hawaii
46. WHAT'S YOUR SPECIAL TALENT? Can't tell you
47. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Los Angeles, CA
48. WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Found it on Inky Knits Blog

Does anyone know what happened to #34?

Saturday Sky

Beautiful sky. Wonderful weather today.

August Mid Month Day #1

Well I joined my first KAL. This is a monthly dishcloth KAL. On the first of the month you get about seven lines of a pattern a day for seven days. This dishcloth is usually a theme. The 16th day is the start of the mid month KAL and this is usually knitted using some type of variegated yarn.

Here is day #1 if the August mid month.

I feel like I could have done better. This is the first time I knitted with two colors. Also, had I known better I would have used a bolder Variegated yarn. This is a lot of fun though. Just think of all the dishcloths that are to be knitted. I can't wait.

Saturday Sky July 28th

Here is Saturday Sky for the last Saturday of July. The weather has been very humid, which is unusual for the coast. This Saturday we have clouds.

Why Is She So Happy?

Well it may be because she is not knitting this scarf. Notice the skill level, beginner. Now Notice the size knitting needles. Yes! size 50. I was sure this was going to be a quick and easy knitting project. Well try knitting with those size 50s. Not so easy, or it may just be me. Those suckers are hugh. The Lion Brand Yarn Newsletter says you can knit this scarf in one hour. So I think, cool. I buy some Lion Boucle and Incredible yarn and am excited about how this is going to look. Well, I get those needles in my hands and I'm like, how in the world is this going to be easy. I feel like I'm knitting with giant plastic pipes the size of tree trunks.

The colors of the yarn are pretty but I have to say that if you are not careful, Lion Boucle will break if you pull too hard. I'm still going to give it a try. Bet it takes longer than a hour. ;)

Saturday Sky

Here it is again. Saturday Sky in Pismo Beach. This time with an added bonus. Look up in the sky! It's a bird. It's really a hawk circling for food. This was taken at 2:30pm PST. It is a beautiful day. The coast is around 80 today, which is unusually warm for here. I guess that is cool compared to the rest of the nation. So, for the rest of the day I think I will take it easy. Maybe lounge outside with some knitting. Wow, sounds like it may be a perfect day after all.

Saturday Sky

This is the sky at 10am in Pismo Beach, California. Beautiful. Blue. What can I say, no words are needed.

Which will it be?

Well, I'm still on the sock thing. I'm still trying to knit socks. So what did I do? I tried DPNs and two circular needles to see which I would like best. The first sock I tried to knit along with this web site. www.cometosilver.com/socks/SockClass_Beginning.htm
This is a great beginner sock tutorial. I found the instructions easy to follow. The hard part for me was using double pointed needles. I had never knitted with DPNs. It does take practice, but after a while I got the hang of them, although I did find them a little awkward at times. Still I did not mind knitting this way.

Then I tried a DVD called "How to Knit Socks on Two Circular Needles" with Nenah Galati. Oh yes, I'm lovin it. I just started knitting the sock, it is a different pattern, but still this way of knitting seems to go fast for me. I'm having a blast. Then again, I have a long way to go, all that may change as I get further to the end. Who Knows.

A Present to Me

Lookie at what I bought for me. It's a Dell Inspiron. It gives me new freedom. I will be able to move all over the place. It has a nice big screen and so far I'm loving it. I don't usually buy things for myself, you can say that I'm frugal, but I just had to have a notebook. I got so tired of the computer in the spare bedroom.






So now I don't have to deal with this ------>


Not that it was so bad, it was just that I had to share. Sharing is fine but having something all your own is sooooo much better. I am very happy. :)

Short and Sweet

It has been a long time since my last post . So, what is have been doing? Not a whole lot. Just doing life is all.

I do have pictures of some dish cloths or face cloths, what ever you like to call them. These were the first dish cloths I knitted. Being a somewhat new knitter they were great practice and fun to knit. Just like this post, knitting has been short and sweet.


Here they are close up

Happy Birthday to Me, Happy Birthday to Me....

Yes, today is my birthday and I'm really happy. On this day 45 years ago in Los Angeles, California I was born. For some reason 45 is not as bad as I thought it would be. I'm happy to be alive, happy to be healthy, happy to have a job, happy that my daughters are healthy and that my grandchildren are healthy and happy. What a wonderful gift.

Happy Birthday to me!

The Purple Lady

There is a lady here in California on the Central Coast in the town of Santa Maria, she is The Purple Lady. She lives in a purple house. The house has purple walls, purple carpet, purple furniture , a purple kitchen in which there are purple appliances and purple counter tops. Lets just say the house is full of different shades of purple. The Purple Lady has purple hair, purple eye glasses, and wears only purple clothes, except for lent when she gives up purple. Oh and lets not forget she can be seen driving around town in her purple car. I'm not sure how long she has been purple, that seems to be up for debate, but it has been a long time. She has four sons, one of which I'm in love with. This is how I know The Purple Lady. She is kind of a celebrity, she has been on Letterman and Real People. It seems she is also famous in Japan.

The Purple Lady is a knitter. She was, from what her son has told me, a very good knitter. She won awards at the county fair for her knitted sweaters. Unfortunately she no longer knits, she is now in her 80s and has arthritis. The Purple Lady is the most loving and giving person I know. She has a wonderful heart. What she did yesterday was give me knitting needles. She said take what what you want. Take needles and yarn. I felt kind of weird, I was like a kid in a candy store. She has everything. Her yarn was organized in boxes by project. Each box has the amount of yarn needed for that project. I could not get over the amount she had. The amount of needles was amazing too. She has needles she has never touched, they are still in the original package. What I did get were some really nice circular needles and some yarn. She said to me do you need more and I said not today, but I will know where to go if I do. Thank you Purple Lady! God bless you.

In Pismo Beach

I live in Pismo Beach, a small town of maybe 8,000 people. This happened today. I can actually see Denny's from my street corner. I work from home and did not hear a thing. I found out when my office IM me, wanting to know if I had heard anything. All I can think to say is that this is very sad. I have a big lump in my throat. My heart goes out to all who witnessed this tragic event and to the ones who have lost a loved one.




PISMO BEACH (Reuters) - A man opened fire with a pair of handguns at a central California Denny's restaurant at lunchtime on Wednesday, killing two people and wounding two others before apparently taking his own life, police said.
Police responding to the restaurant in the beach community of Pismo Beach found three people, including the gunman, dead and two other customers suffering from gunshot wounds.
"He came in with two guns, shooting away," Pismo Beach Cmdr. Jeff Norton said. "We don't know if he targeted anyone specifically."
Norton said the shooter's fatal wound appeared to be self-inflicted.
Both of the wounded victims were taken to local hospitals near Pismo Beach, about 150 miles north of Los Angeles. There was no immediate word on their condition but Norton said that at least one was able to give a statement to police.
Authorities did not immediately release the names of the gunman, who was identified only as a white male, or the victims.
"We are shocked and saddened by this incident that occurred. It appears to be a random act of violence and right now I can't give details of the investigation, it's still in progress. We are cooperating with the Pismo Beach Police Department," said Angelica Jimenez, spokeswoman for Denny's, which is based in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
The Pismo Beach restaurant is owned by Denny's Corp.

DPNs and Socks

I'm so frustrated. All I can think about is learning how to knit socks. I'm obsessed. I think about it day and night. I wake up in the middle of the night thinking about socks. I'm trying so hard to learn how to knit with DPNs. I like to read knitting blogs, but then I see the SOCK and I think why can't I do that, I so want to be able to knit socks. Then there is the business of how to knit the sock...four or five DPNs, circular needles, or TWO circular needles. Then the way the sock is knitted, there are so many different ways. I'm so confused. I'm thinking I may call the LYS and ask if they have classes. I've been looking for an instructional DVD. I have a sock book "Knit Socks!" First, it's like reading a foreign language and then I have to knit with DPNs. Ugh! I did try to knit in the round with DPNs, this is what it looks like. First the cast on, then I knitted a few rows.

At least it looks round, doesn't it? Maybe I should start with a hat knitted with DPNs.

That's Me

You appear to be a Knitting Apprentice.You've got the basics down pat and you might just
be falling in love with this hobby. Big
needles, funky yarns and simple shapes are
the name of the game, but it doesn't mean you
don't experiment a bit, here and there. As an
apprentice, you probably fall back on other
people to get you through those rough spots,
and if you don't know anyone who knits, you
probably have a few books or online sources
to tap.http://marniemaclean.com/

What Kind of Knitter Are You?
brought to you by

Pretty in Pink

This is The Megan Scarf. I made this scarf for my granddaughter, because she loves pink. I used Fancy Fur in Party Pink.

If you know Megan this is the perfect yarn for her. She loves fancy things, parties and of course PINK.


Now for the drum roll.........



Here she is, the beautiful Megan wearing the Party Pink Fancy Fur Megan Scarf.



















little guy in the back ground is my grandson :)

Look what I can do

This is my first scarf. I'm proud of the fact that I finished it and it turned out to be something that I would actually wear. I'm really into the knitting thing now. It's very meditating. I'm now working on a facecloth. I think for now I will work on small projects. Practice practice.

The yarn is Patons Ci Ci in Brazil Blue.