"I have never felt that anything really mattered but the satisfaction of knowing that you stood for the things in which you believed and had done the very best you could." - Eleanor Roosevelt

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Yarn for Mammograms - Update....

Jess was so kind to help an aging memory remember that the yarn was mentioned on the Scavenger Hunt Swap.

Thanks Jess...it's hell getting older sometimes....
A few days ago I stumbled across a post about yarn for Breast Cancer Awareness. Since I am old, and I have eaten and slept since then, I cannot remember who to give the credit to. Here is a picture of the yarn from the web site:



Mine came today. It is the most wonderful assortment of blues and purples with a touch of green and red. I got three skeins. I will agree with the post that I read about the lack of softness, but I feel confident that I can find some wonderful use for it. It seems only fitting since my mother has had a mastectomy and so has one of the Special Couple. A portion of the purchase goes towards providing mammograms to ladies that would not otherwise be able to afford them, so it is a good cause.

It is re-cycled silk, so any of you out there in blog land that have any suggestions, send 'em my way!

Friday, January 25, 2008

A Contest is taking place....

Go here at once to read all about it. It is an blog anniversary contest. If you mention that I sent you I get an extra vote.

Happy Friday!

Thursday, January 24, 2008

10 Things Meme

Okay, so I got tagged by Maryanne. The "game" is to list ten things that I have done that others might not have. This could be a challenge. I'm a typical caner type personality and would rather be at home with family and friends. I'm supposed to tag five others, but I think that I would rather that five of my readers admit that they wanted to do this too.

Okay, so here is the list:

Thing One - I took the SAT as a Junior in High School and got a score of 1560 out of 1600. I never took it again.

Thing Two - As a senior in High School I was required to take a CPR class to graduate. The day after I passed the class, my mother and I were leaving a basketball game (yes, I played guard as number 32) and we saw two little girls crying in the street. As fate may have it, their elderly grandfather had had a heart attack. My mother quickly ushered the girls away from the scene and I took over the CPR. Keep in mind that this was WAY before cell phones. We're talking 1980 here gang. The gas station where my mom took the girls to wait called for an ambulance. The grandfather never came out of his coma but he didn't die until many days later. The doctors all said that my fast thinking kept him alive and that allowed his family to all get to town to say their last goodbyes. They wanted to give me a reward and I would not accept. I can honestly say that I have never had to do CPR since; however, I did keep my certification current until both Trouble and Munchkin went to college.

Thing Three - I met Elvis at Graceland in May of 1977. For those of you participated in the Be My Valentine Swap - 2008 on Ravelry, there was a thread about favorite love songs....I promised to give details, so here goes. I was living in Memphis and going to school at Bishop Byrne High School. I had a friend that was dating one of his guards. We were only allowed to leave campus during exams, so in May when we were taking our finals, we went to see her boyfriend. For those of you that have been to Graceland, you all know where the pool is. There is an entrance down by the barn that we came through. We only had about 90 minutes, so I didn't expect too much excitement. Boy was I wrong. We were just sitting around the pool drinking soda (Dr. Pepper for me) when out came Elvis in a navy bathrobe. You will have to remember that he was heavy and had large side-burns too. He was wearing dark glasses too. He asked us if the boys were taking care if us and then asked us if we were hungry. Before we could answer, he ushered us to the kitchen. He asked the cook to make us some lunch. We had sandwiches and chips. He also took us on his own version of the tour of Graceland. I got to see all the rooms upstairs as well as the rest of the house. It was amazing. He was gracious and I was surprised.

Thing Four - I still hold a High School track record. Yes, you read that right. I ran the 440 yard dash, which is now the 400 meter yard dash. My senior year, I ran the event in two relays and as an individual event. My time in the state track meet in 1980 was 53.4 seconds. Yep, I could haul myself around the track at a pretty good clip. That Fall, the entire country switched to the metric system, so that is why my records still stands. BTW - I had the State's fifth fastest time in that final track meet. The winner was 53.0....that's how close of a race it was.

Thing Five - I have jumped out of a plane over the Everglades. Yep, you read that right too. My younger brother was in the Navy at one time in his life and was stationed at an air force base. I would tell you more, but he is still employed by the Government and I don't want them knocking on my door....if you know what I mean. He was learning how to jump and I got the opportunity to go tandem with him. It was great fun and I would love to do it again.

Thing Six - I have held an Olympic torch. One that was actually lit and carried by one of my dearest friends, Becky Clark. She was living in California when the last Olympics were here in the US. She was chosen to represent Sherman Oaks and carried the torch. She met me in Virginia about two years ago and brought the torch for Wifey and I to see. We were visiting Wifey's parents for their 50th anniversary and were in Williamsburg. She drove down from Maryland and we shared the torch with Wifey's family as well. It was surprisingly heavy. Last year Becky donated the torch to Pat Summit's charity. It was auctioned for a fund raiser and the winning bidder returned it to the Charity to display. Becky played basketball for Pat Summit, so that is the connection.

Thing Seven - Played guitar and rode in a float in a parade in West Virginia. Yep, you read that right as well. I was living in Charleston and for a reason that has escaped me, I was learning to play the guitar. I was very good at Country Roads (yes, John Denver). I don't remember how I was selected to play that song and ride in the parade, but let me tell you, my hands were so sore after playing for the duration of the parade that it was quite a while before I ever played again.

Thing Eight - My mother's family has had seven generations of women that were born on holidays and gave birth to a child on a holiday. Case in point, my mother was born on November 1st (All Saints Day) and had me on July 4th and I had Munchkin on February 14th. So it is now up to her to continue this odd phenomenon.

Thing Nine - I have been inside a crematorium and seen a cremation in progress. I have also seen an embalming in process. Yes, it's true. One of the numerous jobs I have had was as an Administrative Assistant at SCI Management. That is a division of Service Corporation International. They are the largest provider of burial related goods and services. While I never worked at any of their locations, we at the home office were encouraged to visit the locations and see what the industry was all about. I took advantage of it. It wasn't glamorous, but it was something that I'm glad I did. It came in handy when my grandmother died (my mother's mom). She lived in a very small town and the local family funeral parlor did not do such a good job. My mother pulled me aside and said that I need to do something with Big Mama, as she was "sweating". They hadn't embalmed her very well. Thank goodness I know my way around a funeral home. I politely closed her casket and rolled her to the service hall and delivered her to the embalmer. They had to re-do her and get her a new casket and wash and re-dress her. It was a mess and I made them discount the prices for the family since they screwed up.

Thing Ten - I got my first adult library card the summer before I entered the eighth grade. All of you young kiddos might not understand the relevance of this. When I was growing up, the library was divided into sections. You had the kids section, the reference section, the periodicals section, the microfilm section, and the adult section. The adult section was not rated x, it just had books that were deemed for older readers. You had to be 16 OR you had to have read every book in the children's section to get an adult card. I had read all the books by the time I was twelve. The first adult book I checked out was Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth. My father was so upset. He took me and the book back to the library for an answer. They told him the policy and showed him the proof. From that point on, I was a dedicated adult book reader and still am today.

Thing Eleven - The first concert tickets I ever won were to Bad Company. I was in the seventh grade and I snuck out of the house to go with my neighbor across the street. He was five years older than me and could drive. I was so cool, until I got grounded for sneaking out and disobeying my parents. It was still worth it!

Okay....that's my list. Comment if you dare and tag yourself if you are so inclined.....

Monday, January 21, 2008

Sit Tight, This Could Be A LONG Post

Okay, if you noticed, the last entry was on the 14th. Why did I not have Tuesday Temptations? I started college last week (Tuesday the 15th to be exact). It is just a math class this semester, but I had to go and get the syllabus and book, and meet the other flunkies that were in the class. Most of them thought that I was the teacher at first, and with good reason. The professor isONE year older than me and his teaching assistant graduated from High School with Trouble.....

Then, Thursday was Wifey's birthday and the day that we had to select our season ticket seats for the Comets. I left work at 4:30 PM, picked up Wifey and our special friends and we headed to Reliant Park. We found the seats that they wanted us to have and quickly changed them for better ones. We originally had Section 104, Row 9, Seats 13 and 14. We upgraded to Section 103, Row 2, Seats 11 and 12. The Special Couple upgraded from Section 104, Row 10, Seats 10 and 11 to Our new section. They have seats 9 and 10, so now the four of us will be sitting together. From there, we went to the Spaghetti Warehouse.

Now if that wasn't enough, remember that I/we have been going to Bally's daily. We get up at 4:15 AM and get to the gym by 4:55 AM so that we are there when the doors open at 5:00 AM. We work out until 6:00 AM and head home to shower and leave for work. Are you tired yet?

Just getting wound up. Saturday, we had to do our monthly trip to Sam's and to Wal-Mart and take Wifey's antique doll, Iva, to the Doll Hospital. And get ourselves ready for another birthday dinner with more friends at Good Company Seafood. Sunday was somewhat restful. We cleaned up the house a little so that we could have the Special Couple over to watch game one. I actually knitted. After game one was over, we went to the Special Couple's hose to watch game two. More knitting actually took place.

Pictures of actual knitting:

Meadow Front View

Meadow Back View

I also want to share pictures of Iva:







Why is Iva important? Iva was made in the early 1920's. She belonged to Wifey's mother and was passed down to Wifey. She is considered a composition large mama doll. That means that she is basically particle board. We learned about the rags used as stuffing and all other sorts of restoration information. This is what I gave Wifey for her birthday. I am paying to have Iva lovingly restored to her original condition. It will take over a year and will cost around $600.00, but I think that she is worth it (Iva and Wifey). As you can tell, Eraser was assisting with the photo shoot.....

More later.....

Monday, January 14, 2008

Scavenger Hunt Swap

Okay, so Amy posted about this swap and I decided that I had to check it out.


  1. Do you knit, crochet or both? How long have you been doing it? - I have been knitting since I was 12 (about 33 years) and I have been crocheting since I was 10 (about 35 years). I knit more than I crochet, but I will pull out the crochet hook if I need to.


  2. What is on your needles/hook right now? - Current WIP's include two pair of socks, the Haruha Scarf, Cherie Amour, and the Meadow Vest from the Rowan Tapestry Collection Book (ZB46).


  3. What is the most frequently used tool in your knitting bag? - My gauge ruler and my tape measure tie for first and my knitter's notebook second.


  4. What are your 3 favorite yarns (fiber type or brand)? What are your 3 least favorite? - I am totally in love with Rowan CashSoft and Rowan CashCotton, as well as, Berroco Bonsai and Berroco Glace. Least favorites....I really don't like novelty yarns or camouflage dyed yarns. And with the humidity here, I seldom use a pure wool...


  5. What is your favorite color? - Blue (All shades except very pale ones).


  6. If you had a 5 minute shopping spree in your LYS, how would you plan your attack? - Go to the sock yarn and grab as much as possible, then go to the Rowan wall and grab as much CashCotton and CashSoft as possible, and then head to the Berroco and gran all the Bonsai and Glace that I can. If time remains, grab Noro and Louet. And of course, Wifey would have to be there to hold all the stuff!


  7. What is your favorite FO and why? (post a pic if you have it!) - My favorite FO is documented here. The pictures show you the first dress that I ever knit for the Munchkin. She was born on Valentine's Day in 1986. I adapted it from the Kids Knits book that is in the second picture. I think that making this for her was one of the best experiences. She was turning two and I wanted to make something that was special and not commercialized. Too this very day, she insists that this is one of her most favorite outfits that I made her. I made all of the dresses that Trouble and Munchkin wore until they were both in the second grade, then it wasn't cool.


  8. What are your favorite things to knit/crochet? - I love socks because they are fast (most of the time). I also love to make baby sweaters and booties. The rest of the time, I make whatever strikes my fancy or whatever a person might request for a gift, as long as I'm knitting it's all good.


  9. Do you collect anything? - We collect Hull Pottery, Depression Glass, Elegant Glass, and I also collect old knitting needles and vintage knitting booklets.


  10. What are your five favorite things (not necessarily knitting related)? - Gardening, Golfing, throwing "themed" parties for our friends, chocolate, and wine tasting events/parties.


  11. Are you on Ravelry? What is your ID? - Yep: Rubyringz


  12. Do you drink tea/coffee/cocoa? - All three plus Dr. Pepper


  13. Favorite Sweets? - CHOCOLATE and Necco Wafers/Conversation Hearts


  14. Any allergies? - None that I know of, except artificial sweeteners.


  15. Do you have pets? kids? - Two daughters (Trouble and Munchkin), two cats (Eraser and Sassy), and one dog (Onyx).

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Knitting Does Actually Happen Around Here

Yes, I do actually knit. Want proof? Okay, I was in my LYS a while back, when it was too hot here to even think about winter, and I was sucked into a vortex by this yarn. Deciding on a color was hard but I picked this one. I also purchased this book because I loved the patterns. I got pulled further into the vortex by Foxtail and Millet, but eventually made my way out to settle on Meadow, minus that belt and the belt loops. At my age you don't need ANY help letting people know where your waist is or isn't.....

Here is the ribbing at row 20:



I'm not sure if you can see the beautiful stitch markers, but trust me, they are there and I need to thank Megan for them. They were part of my goodies from her in the first SITM KAL.

I should be able to get the last two rows of ribbing done today as well as switching to the body. I am in the process of converting the entire pattern from flat pieces that needed to be assembled....YUK...to being totally knitted in the round, so it is a little slower than I would like. Thank goodness that my hairdresser knows how to camouflage the grey....

Monday, January 7, 2008

5 things you hope to accomplish in the New Year!

Okay. We have been challenged to post five things that we hope to accomplish in 2008 for the SITMT KAL.

While some of this will be incorporated into my 2008 Goals Post, some are unique to the Knitting and to the Ravelry community.

1. Finish or Frog ALL existing UFO's and WIP's before starting anything new. While this may not sound so bad, if you check the UFO blog, I posted on June 11, 2007 that I had just finished one UFO leaving me with ten. I have finished one more since then, so I officially have nine. I will most likely frog one of them but that still leaves eight that are all at least ten years old. They need to be off the needles so that I can move on. As for current WIPs', I have seven. To be fair, one is the SITMT socks, one is the Pay-It-Forward item that I have for Cynical Gal, one is for the Pay-It-Forward for Tangled up in Knots, and one is a chem cap for a ten year old boy that is my co-worker's neighbor. So, I have three on the needles for myself that I need to finish pronto.

2. I would like to make an honest effort to knit from my stash. I have three eighteen gallon roughneck storage containers filled to the brim with yarn and some that I have received from swaps that has not made it to the containers due to lack of room. With that said, I put in the disclaimer for yarn for swaps. That is the only exception!

3. I would like to become more involved with the Knitting Community as a whole. I think that there are numerous opportunities that are available for all of us to give and I think that I want to return to making bassinet blankets for preemie wards at local hospitals.

4. I want to get myself to the weight that is healthiest for me. I want to continue the eating program that Wifey and I started on this summer, as well as the exercise program at the gym. I am not setting an overall clothing size goal as much as I am stating that I want to be 165 by my birthday this year.

5. I want to take a serious look at our spending and savings and get them aligned so that Wifey can retire from teaching in two years and not have to worry. Enough said.

and one more...

6. I want to finish my B.S. by May 2009. I will be taking a math class this semester at the local community college that did not transfer and then in the fall I will be going full time on Saturday's to get the whole shooting match done. After I get the degree, I get to purchase a motorcycle....Great incentive!

Okay, so what did you decide was most important in your life to conquer this year?

BTW - I forgot to add that I also plan to learn to enjoy just being in the house with Wifey after May when the Munchkin graduates. For those of you with small ones, you will understand when you get there too. For those of you that are confirmed empty nesters, you also know how I am feeling. It will almost be like starting over new.....almost

Friday, January 4, 2008

What does your name mean?

What Lisa Means

You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow. You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily. Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is.

You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing. You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long. You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start.

You are the total package - suave, sexy, smart, and strong. You have the whole world under your spell, and you can influence almost everyone you know. You don't always resist your urges to crush the weak. Just remember, they don't have as much going for them as you do.

You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality.

I stumbled across this while I was looking at other SITMT blogs today. It is a bit amusing, but oddly accurate in a few places. Enjoy.

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

What did you do for New Year's?



I have been reading some of my favorite blogs and I noticed that several posted about their New Year's Eve festivities, so I decided to join in.

What you see above is (from left to right) Friend of Special Couple, Special Couple, Wifey, Me, and Old Friend. Yes I am wearing a VERY bright red dress. I also did not wear hose, had a beaded black wrap, and carried a black clutch. I wore a black pearl necklace that the Special Couple brought back from their 20th anniversary trip to Tahiti.

We had semi-formal dinner at our house and all drove to a new nightclub in the mommy van. We were there from 9:00 PM to 1:45 AM. We had loads of fun. We danced like crazy fools and had a generally fabulous time. It was 2:38AM when we went to bed.

My feet are still a little tender from the new shoes. Silly me forgot to break them in before I decided to wear them and dance....My leg muscles are also a little mad at me but they are happier today.

I do actually have knitting photos and some goals for 2008 but I'll post them later this week. Go WVU and Go Buckeyes! I love college bowl time!

Happy 2008!