Crochet progress

I am currently creating a really nice cardigan. I don't think this will be a quick finish by far. I found this pattern at Wal Mart in a book of crochet stitches with like five projects included. I have made two of the projects and this is the third. I can't wait to finish it. . I started it some time ago but I realized that it was way too large for me. I had completed about 80% of the back was only about fifteen rows from finishing the back when I realized it. I unraveled it. Now I have started it again due to Sheila's cardigan completion. Do not expect me to finish it as quickly as she did! LOL

Here is a picture of the cardigan.

Here is a picture of my progress.

I purchased this yarn at JoAnn's. It cost around $5 a skein. I like the colors of the yarn. I can wear this cardigan with many colors. I have a new pair of navy blue pants to wear when I complete this cardigan. I am pretty excited.

However today I noticed a bit of a flaw in my work. Look at this picture. It looks like I added an extra stitch to the last twenty rows! Ugh! I hate when that happens. I think I will unravel and start it again. Hopefully I will finish the back sooner than expected. I want to get this completed.

Wish me tons of luck! I need it!

Smooches!

My list of

Pet Peeves

I think I will only do a few of these since my list is so long! LOL! I am sure we all have pet peeves. These are in no particular order. These are ones I just thought about recently!

1. Phony people. Get real! Seriously! I would like you so much better!

2. People who throw garbage on the street. Just plain ignorant.

3. Sore losers! LOL!

4. I hate it when someone is in a bad mood or a non-social mood and they inflict there mood on you. Go home and get it together and then come and hang or lets talk. Don't share the misery!

5. I hate the feel of flour or dust on my hands. It really bugs me. You should see me cook fried chicken. I have to stop and wash my hands after I get the chicken into the oil. It drives me crazy!

6. Dirt or gunk under my nails

7. People with dry scaley feet. Also toenails which need polishing or a touch up. I have one thing to say! Don't wear sandals. That is so gross! I really don't understand why you would step out of the house with such nasty feet! Ugh! I can't stand it!

8. Sick people who are contagious and they come to work, socialize or get on airplanes. News flash! Stay at home until you are better. We don't want your germs!

9. People who do not respond to RSVP. They just show up. How inconsiderate!

10. The lack of a thank you or an excuse me when you should say it. Common courtesy folks!

Until we meet again!

Savory Sunday

This recipe my Mother found in a local newspaper. I made it and I love it! It's very tasty. You know I am not a big fan of frosting and this one is perfect with just a sprinkling of powdered sugar. I do suggest you try it.

Almond Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Makes 16 slices

Vegetable oil spray
flour
1 (18.5-ounce) package plain butter recipe golden cake mix
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature
4 large eggs
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil, such as canola, corn, safflower, soybeen or sunflower
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon almond extract

Lightly mist a 10-inch tube pan with vegetable oil spray then dust with flour. Shake out excess flour and set pan aside.

Place cake mix, cream cheese, eggs, water, sugar, oil, vanilla and almond extracts in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to meduim and beat 2 mintues more, scraping the sides down again if needed. The batter should look well blended.

Pour batter into the prepared pan, smoothing it out with the rubber spatula. Place pan in the oven.

Bake cake on center rack of pre-heated 350-degree oven until it is golden brown and springs back when lightly presssed with your finger, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove pan from oven and place iton a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes. Run a long, sharp knife around the edge of the cake, invert it onto a rack and then invert it onto a serving platter so that it is right side up. Slice the cake while it is still a little warm.

Makes 1 cake.

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Baking time: 35 to 40 minutes

Note: Freeze this cake, wrapped in aluminum foil, for up to 6 months. Thaw cake overnight on the counter before serving.

Nutrition facts per slice:

283 calories
15g fat,
5 g saturated fat
69 mg cholesterol
33 g carbohydrates
3 g protein
264 mg sodium
0 g fiber

I submitted a recipe similar to this one which was a french toast. It appears I have a taste for almonds and cream cheese huh? Oh well! If I think its great I am sure you will too!

Bon Appetit'

Inspired by

After my last post I felt to need to write about some of the blogs I read. I feel inspired to do a little better and to do more of my favorite crafts by these bloggers. They are some truly wonderful and gifted people.

Here is one of my favorites.

Real Life: Live and Unscripted

This blog is by Adrienne, a SAHM of three, wife, sewer, knitter, photographer, scrapbooker and last but not least lover of life. Her blog has inspired me to pick up my crafts again and actually dabble in a few more. I like reading her blog because it is so upbeat. I found Adrienne's blog on the CKMB scrapbook message board. She was a very active member for some time. Adrienne is the reason I blog now. Adrienne has established other blogs too for African American Knitters and Crocheters called Ebony Elite, Scrapalong for scrapbookers and she has a regular podcast she has decided to bring back due to popular demand. If you are looking for some inspiration visit her website. You will not be disappointed.

Crimson Purl

This blog is by Stacey. She is a wonderful knitter that I met on the Ebony Elite blog. Stacey is an avid knitter and yarn porn queen! If you are wondering about yarn porn don't worry. But check out the website. I like Stacy's website because of her talent for knitting and her enthusiasm for the craft. She also has terrific entries which are fun to read. She is very inspirational with her swaps and she scouts out terrific knitting patterns for the masses. I can hardly wait to see what she will post next!

A Day In My World

This blog is by Pat. She is a Katrina survivor, wife, knitter, sewer, fun-loving and a fabulous story teller. She really cracks me up. Her entries have me crying at times. I met her on the Ebony Elite blog. I love her "Tales from the food stamp office" entries. They are hysterical! Trust me! I find myself looking for another entry every day. Her entries about her life and times and really nice reads. I highly suggest you check out her blog.

Sheilaz Crochetz, Threadz and knitz

This blog is by Sheila. I found Sheila's blog on Ebony Elite. Sheila dabbles in everything crafty. She is now on a knitting binge and she has made some wonderful pieces. I am inspired by Sheila because when she starts a project it is finished in a very short amount of time. At least by my standards. I am impressed with her tenacity and her willingness to take risks and go off the beaten path. If you ever have any time please check out her blog.

I keep up with all my blogs using the bloglines website. Here you can get updates to everyone 's blog in one place. It's free! I have over ten blogs linked here and when I want to know if someone has posted something I go here to read them all in one place. I then go to the website and post my comment. I like to leave comments so people know I have been there.

Well I do hope you visit all of these wonderful blogs. I visit them regularly and I suggest you check them out. Maybe you will find some inspiration too!

Toodles!

I've been tagged tonight...

7 Random Facts! Here are the rules:


Link to the person that tagged you
post the rules on your blog
Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself
Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs
Let each person know that they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog



My scrapping buddy Kim has decided to tag me on her blog. I guess I should gear up to answer a few questions for the masses.



1. I am six feet tall (actually 5' 11 3/4" but I think I will just round up)



2. I am a sister to a mentally handicapped brother who I love dearly



3. I would like to go back to school to become a physical therapist



4. I am extremely sensitive .



5. I am one of the hardest people to read. People tend to think I am mad or angry a lot when I am not. I have one of those faces which confuse people a lot when I am not smiling.



6. I've always wanted sexy abs. I never had a completely flat stomach even though I have been skinny all my life. I have no hips and I am sort of rounded in the waist. Sometimes I feel like a tube!



7. My dream vacation would be a trip to Africa for a safari. I plan on doing this when I win the lottery.



I am tagging the following people



A Day in My World - Pat- very funny blog. You don't want to miss her tales from the food stamp office postngs.


Crimson Purl - Stacey - very creative blog. She is a knitter with a passion!

Loving Created - Ali - a scrapbooker with a love for her family which shines through her scrapbooks.

Real Life: Live and Unscripted - Adrienne - the wonder woman of blogging! If you haven't read her blog you don't know what you are missing!

Sheilaz Crochetz, Threadz & Knitz - Sheila - the woman who tackles a project and finishes it in record time! I am astounded everytime I see her projects. She just whips them out! Amazing!

Knitting in LA - Kim - Another creative site with a mother to be in waiting for an adoption.

Knitter's Delight - Susan - Another creative person who is a member of the Ebony Elite blog.

Some of these people probably have no idea who I am but at least I have tagged seven. I will post on blogs later I have tagged them!

Peace and much love...

Tales from the Weekend...

I had a very full weekend. It started out Friday evening at The Creative Studio in Naperville, IL. I went to a free crop (a scrapbook workshop in which you work on your pages) with two friends Jodi and Becky. We had a good time and I worked on six 8 X 8pages. I say worked on because I have completed 95% of each page. I still need to put journaling and pictures on my pages. We met at 5pm and worked until 11pm. I actually left about 15 minutes earlier because I was tired. I just arrived home from Syracuse at 2:30 that afternoon ran home and completed some work for my job. I was still on eastern time so it was actually after midnight for me. I felt very productive and satisfied with the progress.

The next day I went to Six Flags Great America's Fright Night festivities. My friend Becky invited me and Jodi. We decided to leave by 11 in the morning at planned on arriving around noon. We did get there about 30 minutes later but it was good. We went in and the first ride we got in line for was the Superman roller coaster. This is a really cool roller coaster in which you are on your stomach flying like superman. FUN! But the line took us almost three hours to get through! Horrible! I was exhausted by the time I got up there. I had a great time but I wouldn't stand in a line like that again! It was horrible!

Anyway the park was totally decorated in spooky decorations which looked really cool! The area the Superman ride was in was called Seven Sins Cemetery. They had these mausoleums with the seven deadly sins listed on them. There were ghouls and other scary things running around freakin' me out! Too funny! I got some fun pictures.

This is me and my friend Jodi in the caskets. I was too tall to lay properly in the casket. Notice how my legs are bent. I have mentioned I am six feet tall right? Jodi said they would just chop off my feet. GROSS!

All together we went through five attractions all day which included the Superman roller coaster, Haunted House (a really bad 3-D movie), Superstition ride (Elvira's virtual roller coaster which was very cool), Studio 13 (a walk through haunted movie studio) and the Mausoleum of Terror (walk through scary area). I had a good time at all the attractions except for the Haunted House 3-D movie. It was really bad! They should have been ashamed of themselves for showing that one. In other lines we discussed it with others who felt the same way. The 3-D effects were good but the story line was so lame it was a shame. All the roller coasters had lines you would not believe! I mean at least a two and a half hour wait! I wasn't doing that again.

We finally got hungry and had to stand in line for over an hour to get food. My friends got fajitas that were cold! I had some cheese fries and a soda. I will never buy food there again. A lot of people went back to their cars and tailgated or had little picnics. I think this is the best way to go for sure!

But before our last attraction we had a coupon for a buy one get three games in the Arcade area. We were limited to playing a game called Bank of Balls. We all thought we would try it and Becky and I both won a prize! I got it on the first try! I was too excited! I got a Tasmanian Devil stuffed animal! Becky got a huge frog. We had to carry these things around the park. Very cumbersome! LOL! But we were both happy. Jodi didn't win at this game but she played the guess your birthday month game and won a key lime colored teddy bear. So we all won in the end. A good day!

This is me and Becky with our prizes. She complained I didn't post any pictures of her from the Orlando trip and I only mentioned her once. So here is a picture with her in it! Now get over it! LOL!

I think next year I will skip Fright Fest. It was just too crowded for my taste. My friend Becky said it usually isn't as crowded earlier in the month. Maybe! But, I will get a season pass and go during the week to do some of the awesome rides they have there. They have some of the coolest roller coasters. They also have a wonderful water park called Hurricane Harbor. I love water parks! I want to go several times next year.

On our way home I got a horrible Charley horse in my right leg. It was horrible. My friend had to pull over and put on her hazard signal to let me out to walk. Is hasn't gone away totally either. I can feel the tension in my legs! I hope it goes away real soon. I didn't get home that evening until after midnight. Of course I haven't got pass my eastern time schedule so it was super late for me.

On Sunday I went to my Mother's house to visit her and my brother Keith. We had a good day. I was tired though. My mom cooked some turnip greens, macaroni and fried chicken. She also made a banana cake (my favorite) without frosting. It was delicious! We went out for a drive and stopped at Starbucks. I have an addiction to the Hot Carmel Apple Cider. It's full of calories so I think I will just get them maybe once every two weeks or so. That should reign me in some. I got home yesterday around 10pm and went to bed. I was pretty tired.

This morning I called my job and spoke with the administrator to see if she had any approximate dates. She luckily did and none were the week of my CKU convention. But I am not out of the woods yet. I explained my predicament and she understands. I will check with her again in December before I sign up for the convention. But I do feel a bit better about my chances. It sort of looks good.

Well I hope you everyone had a good weekend! I hope to have some projects to share soon!

See ya later Alligator!

Excited and also a bit concerned

Well!

I just read an e-mail from CKU and they have posted the 2008 CKU cities and they are coming to Chicago in March! Woo Hoo! I am very excited about this! I heard they were working on coming to Chicago and I definitely will be there for the fun! CKU is "Creating Keepsakes University" and it is a fun and exciting time for scrapbookers. They have classes, crops, contests and tons of stuff for you to try and see! I went to CKU this year in Detroit and I had a wonderful time. I definitely knew I would go again. Registration starts in December so I just can't wait to see what they offer. I do hope they do the same format this year. It was classes one day and an album track the next day (an album track is an all day project where you complete one album). Sweet!

Now here is the reason for my concern. Every year my job has a meeting for all the auditors from our department. We meet in a location (usually Las Vegas) and we are there for the week. This year it was in March. More than likely next year it will be in March again! We usually have it in February but they may change the venue to March because of the company conventions they may want us to attend. This is a problem! I don't know if I will be able to go to CKU in Chicago. They haven't told us yet when the meeting will be held. I need to be at CKU from Thursday to Saturday (there usual time). My meetings are usually an all week affair. Not good! I am excited but panicked all in the same breath. I will e-mail the administrator in our department to see if she could give me a hint.

The last time CKU came to Chicago it sold out in fifteen minutes! That's right fifteen minutes! That is super fast! I signed up for CKU Detroit late and I did not several classes I wanted to take (but I was very happy with the classes I did get). I want to make sure I get the classes I really want this time. Wish me tons of luck I really need it!

Well I must go! I am on my way to Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, IL! It's Fright Fest and I plan on taking many pictures! I am going with two good friends Jodi and Becky so stay tuned for some great stories and pictures!

Ta Ta!

My favorite things

My favorites list in no particular order.


1. I love bananas. They are my favorite fruit. I love the taste and the texture. I could eat them all day (even though its not good for you). I do eat them quite regularly.

2. RED is my favorite color. I think this is a bit of a family trait too. My Dad and my brother love red too. Red makes me feel so alive and invirgorated. When I really feel good, I wear red from inside out (which means underwear to outwear). I haven't done this often lately. That's something to think about.

3. I don't have a favorite ethnic food but I do love spicy and fried foods. I love fried chicken, shrimp, pork chops, french fries, mushrooms and ice cream. I also love peppers. I like the spicest thai food and cajun delicacies. Bring on the spices! I love it!

4. My favorite time of the year is autumn. I love to see all the vibrant fall colors. It's so beautiful. I am here in Upstate New York and the mountains look like calico with all the beautiful colors. I love it. I find it very relaxing. I plan on using fall colors in my home for decorating.

5. Traveling. I really love visiting other places. I have the wunderlust for sure. I cannot see how people stay in one place all the time without venturing outside their own neighborhood, city or state. You miss so much out of life! I love the adventure of discovering new places I have never been and finding my way around. I like to try native foods and learn about other cultures. It helps you understand why people do what they do and their beliefs.

6. I love books and magazines. I think my favorites are craft. I have scrapbook, decorating, cooking, crochet, sewing and some woodworking. Everytime I go away I end up buying several magazines and I just read and browse. It's an addiction I believe. I have a massive collection at home and they are filed in order. I really love browsing for ideas (which I rarely use). If I really enjoy the magazines I buy the subscription. My favorite books are mystery. I really don't like romance novels. I think they just tick me off because I feel a lot of them are so unrealistic. Not that mystery novels are often realistic but I like to try and figure out a whodunit. I usually don't buy mystery novels. I just go to the library and pick them up. I do have a serious collection of craft books though. I usually just browse them but I rarely make any of the items! LOL! I guess that's my draw to just browse.

7. I love board and card games. I don't get to play often but I do love them. I love to play scrabble on the computer. Other games I enjoy are monopoly, guesstures, balderdash, taboo, UNO, Pit, Phase 10 and apples to apples. I don't care for spades and bid whist. Go figure!

8. I have a thing for Adrenaline rushes. I like to ski, whitewater raft, bungee jumping, rollercoasters or anything fast paced and fun. I really love the rush you get when you do exciting things. I am not too crazy enough to do something so risky it might kill me. I go with guides and stay within restricted areas. I think it helps get out the pinned up energy from within. It's a release from the boring day to day routine. I love it! I could use a fix now!

9. SHOPPING! I could shop for anything! Car parts, medical supplies, clothes (of course), shoes, tools, food, craft items, scrapbook stuff you name it I will shop for it! Trust me! I have an addiction to shopping for craft items (yarn, scrapbook supplies, sewing stuff, kits) lately. I wish this would pass! LOL! I could save a lot of money!

10. I love to be outdoors. Whether it is a picnic, hiking, skiing, snowshoeing, camping, canoeing or swimming I love to be outdoors. I enjoy the fresh air and the scenery. I joined the Sierra Club years ago and I started camping with them almost monthly. I loved it. I have activities in which I can be outside at all times of the year. I love it.

Just a little bit of me to share with you.

October in New York

Hey!

I am in New York again this week. I flew into Syracuse and drove to Utica on Sunday. It was a good flight and a good drive. Thankfully it was later in the evening so I made it to the hotel and watched some television and went to sleep.

The next day I went to perform my audit and left Utica to go to a town called Oneonta in New York. But before I could do this I knew there was an AC Moore was in town so I had to stop. I mapquested the directions to AC Moore and then to Oneonta. The trip to AC Moore was a big success. I bought a tote (I have one just like it at home) and some scrapbook paper and embellishments for my Orlando trip. I got a fantastic deal on the tote! It was $14.99 and it was usually $50! I have one at home just like it and I am so excited to have another! Too cool!

Here is a picture of my tote!

After my purchases I left and went to Super Walmart for some necessities. I have sort of an addiction to Super Wal Mart. There aren't many of these in the Chicagoland area. They are actually building one less than five minutes from my house. I am too excited! I can go here and browse every day. Anyway, I go and load up on flavored water (my favorite), lean cuisine entrees (I try to maintain my diet while away), utensils and low calorie treats for the week. I also purchase magazines (another addiction during travel) and toothpaste (which I forgot).

Finally I leave Super Walmart to go to Oneonta, NY. Now I mentioned I mapquested it right? I don't have GPS in my car ( I only had it once and it was cool). Now if you ever used mapquest you know sometimes the directions can be off or a bit confusing or just plan silly. This was one of those moments. Oneonta is a town which is southeast of Utica. This area of New York is very rural. I mean farms and farms and more farms. I am pretty darn good with directions. I usually can find my way anywhere. I may get turned around or confused but I always figure it out. This area of New York had my radar totally off. The reason being was the lack of road signs in the area. The mapquest directions gave me street names and route names. I saw none of these while I drove through a certain area. I drove forever without reaching a town with a store. I had no idea where I was and there were only homes. I wasn't worried just confused. All these roads with no signs! What the heck was that about? I finally reached a town called Edmeston and saw a store. I bought some candy ($1000 bar when I really wanted a twix) and asked for help. I gave the lady my directions and she told me I was way off! Well I knew something was wrong. She wrote down the directions and I took off. I finally got to my hotel but I was very tired and frustrated. That is the worse driving experience I have ever had before in my career. I have never been so confused in my life and I don't appreciate it. I think I may write the State of New York Department of Transportation and let them have a piece of my mind. I have driven all over Texas, New Mexico, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, Colorado, New Jersey and other states with little to no problem. I never encountered so many streets without names or route signs before. Not good.

Anyway I purchased a map today and I didn't need it. But I do have to go north of Syracuse so I want to make sure I get out of this area for sure. LOL! I had no trouble getting to the town of Norwich today. I then go to Earlville, New York for work in the morning. When I leave Earlville I will move onto Pulaski, New York where I have a hotel reservation and then work in a town called Mexico on Thursday. I then leave there and I will stay close to the airport in a town called Livingston. Then I am on my way home! Yippee! This will be the end of my business trips to New York for the rest of the year.

The leaves are changing and I must say New York is a beautiful state in the fall. The mountains and rolling hills are all fall calico colors. Very nice. I want to take some pictures when I have the chance. It's late now but hopefully tomorrow I will get some.

When I return home on Friday I will pick up my kitty Edgar! Then I can return home finish up some work then attend a free scrapbook cropping event at the Creating Studio. I will meet my friends Becky and Jodi there and have a great night. The name of the store is the Scrappin Deals but it isn't exactly a store. It's an online store and she has a crop area. This place isn't set up to be a store. She stores her iventory at the business park and has a very nice studio in which she has crops. You can buy any supplies you need and if you order something (since I live in the area) you can pick it up. Really nice. I went to an open house here and I liked the place. Now I am attending a "free" crop so I hope I like it. I would love to find another place to crop.

I also found another scrapbook store in Plainfield, IL this weekend. It's called the Scrap Addict. It's a nice store and they have free crops too. I can't get enough of the free crops. I must attend a crop here too. I am thinking November! I am sure I can find some friends to attend.

Well I have been busy and I needed to update everyone. Hopefully this is enough news about my life for you to enjoy or fall asleep reading.

I hope you all have a wonderful day.