Horses, beads, food and knitting

My life these days revolves around knitting, food, beads and horses. Or so it seems from all the pictures on the camera. It probably is a pretty accurate "picture" of my life. But my kids play a huge part in what's going on too. It's just that they don't want me to blog about them ... too much. So I don't and then you get horses, beads, food and knitting.

This is the food part.
Our favorite Mexican restuarant.

This is the horses and knitting part.

And these are part of the beads. (Red Jasper Round Faceted 8mm)

You Can Pass Me the Checkbook

This has been a very eventful day and it's only 11:30. Mum called this AM. Aunt Ruth had passed away. Go here for a piece on her life. It's a very nice tribute to a wonderful woman.

While I was searching for my dental office's phone number, they called. I told them to cancel tomorrow's appointment. I'm too busy--but I said there was a death in the family. We have our web designer coming tomorrow any way and I wanted to get out of going to this dental office. They were/have been really pushy. And I don't like to be pushed around.

I'm planning on leaving in about 20 minutes to pick up Teege at the airport. He said he gets in "around one". So that's when I plan on being there. "Around one". (It's an hour away.)

We've had customers in this AM and they take up so much time and space.

We've had several long distance phone calls--nothing to do with Aunt Ruth. One was a suggestion about pricing in our catalogue $US vs. $CND. Another was a question for B. The other was about a fax machine that doesn't work properly. And B and I are trying to get an order together for Aristo.

Meanwhile, I'm trying to fill some internet orders for CTP (or at least, write them up), fax Jailgy a pattern for an afghan that she asked for, work on Da's pamphlet and one for B as well (formatting). Whew!

I usually make lists of "Things to do Today". This is my list.

A Letter

Hi, Mom!

Send pics of the finished quilt. Better yet blog about it and post some pics! Ask SAJ to help you next time she's out. I'm sure she would be more than happy to help you out with the hitting of the wrong keys!

Keep on sending the recipes. I'm collecting them in a booklet and am brain-storming ideas about how to get them bound.

Things are not so hectic around here now that LK is working on the on-line catalogue instead of me. I just could not cram everything into every day that I wanted to get done. Things got half way done or not at all and I always felt like I was behind and always trying to catch up. Check out the web site now at this spot. It looks pretty good so far but has a long way to go.

LJ has an orthodontist appointment today. H needs to go shopping for the "snow weekend" in Regina. She, (H), Tom and Leanne are going. Lj is staying with the horse.

I started some socks for "the brother" and was excited about giving them to him. When joyous found out they were part wool she told me he was allergic to wool.


Next they were for Teegee until he tried them on. Now, I think I'll finished them for H and the Regina week-end. She always appreciates what I make her.

This will be her third pair of socks. If I do make some for Teegee I guess they will have to be black and exactly like every other pair in his drawer. And I hate to work with black yarn. I can't see the stitches very well.

Got to get back to work.

Lots of love,
Knitterykate

Red Beads

Here are a few beads that I found lying around. I looked for all the large beads I could find and really couldn't come up with much.
Most come on strands that are 16" long. All are less than $10. Most are under $5. It's the carnelian that is expensive. Even so, this is really the best price any where. I'm not sure the name of these beads--poppy jasper? They are about 10mm.

These beads are about the same size as the flat oblong beads. The larger beads, that is.

These are carnelian and are the more expensive ones. They come in all shapes.

Redefining my profession

I've been demoted. The on-line catalogue was taking me too much time so B told LK to take over. Secretly, I'm very glad. It was getting to me. I needed large blocks of time which is one thing that I never have. My kind of tasks are those that take minutes or ones that can be picked up and put down with a minute (or second) of notice.That's one reason I enjoy knitting so much. You can do row after row after row or you can do one stitch only before putting it down. And you don't lose your place (unless you have a complicated pattern).

There are some other menial tasks I do. I really don't mind because:

(1) It's very easy. (Can you count to 1000?)
(2) I don't get paid so I'm realy under no obligation to get things done. (Although I did promise B that I would give him four hours a day starting at noon, with one break to get LJ from school). So much for not having large blocks of time. They are there, really.
(3) I can stop and start at any time. (Not really. If I keep my part of the bargain which was "I'll work for four hours if I can have till noon free to do the stuff I need to do around the house.")

This is a pile of tri-beads that represents two bags of 1000. My job, should I decide to accept it, is to count out those two bags. There are many ways to do this. The first would be to count each and every bead, one by one. That's the long way. The second would be to count out each bag by 5's. Somewhat easier. The third way is to count 1000 by 5's, put it on the balance scale and put the rest on the other half of the scale and see if they come out evenly. If it doesn't you have either too many or not enough beads on the second half, in which case you're out of luck because that's all the beads you were given.

You would never guess that I was a graduate student at one point in my life. But then again, maybe all that univesity prepared me for just this type of work!

Break Time

We have so much stock to put away right now that it's overwhelming. This is what H does when it gets to be too much. She takes out her pad of paper and a pencil and draws.