The Attic Ghost

Wordless Wednesday

2012-02-02T00:00:00.000-08:00

My table is completed!

2012-01-20T20:21:00.000-08:00

So excited that the table is finished. It came in way ahead of Steve's projected due date. I love it. It's made of oak and matches the china hutch perfectly. I can't wait for the next knitting group meet up. The table will sit up to ten people. Eight fit comfortably. No more card tables. Yay!

I hadn't realized that it also matches our floor until I watched the video. Check out Steve's blog to see the rest of the pictures.

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-17T20:12:00.000-08:00

And this is why sock monkey for toddlers was a disaster. You just can't knit around a one year old. (No, she does not have the pointy end poking in her eye and yes, I did take them away from her... eventually when she let me.)

At the Etsy Store

2012-01-15T15:35:00.000-08:00

For a cloudy, overcast, cold, somewhat rainy day, I got a heck of a lot done. The pictures were taken for the Etsy store. I took a gazillion pictures of Alicia wearing the Scott Pilgrim hat. She's as bad as Evelyn in that she is always on the move. Ninety percent of her pictures came out blurry. I got at least a few. Then I made Joey model. I only had to take three pictures. Each one came out perfect. He was finished in under two minutes.

I also got the pictures taken for the latest vases that Steve has made and they are now listed as is the jewelry box.

Last but not least I listed the sock monkey hat. It is for a large head, but it actually did fit Evelyn too. I would have loved to have taken her picture with the hat, but she was to shy and ran from the camera.

Had a great time with the women at the spinning group yesterday, but there was one thing that was mentioned that bothered me a little. It has to do with stashes. So much money is spent on fabric stashes, yarn stashes, bead stashes, etc.

I really don't want that in my house. I am making a resolution that I will no longer buy yarn or fabric unless I have a specific project in mind. I don't care if the items are on sale. The money I save on not buying supplies I'm not ever going to use will more than make up for paying full price.

Today I cleaned out the trunk that I was storing yarn and a few stashes of fabric and UFO projects. I took my lovely brown sweater that everyone disliked because I had poof sleeves and popped it in the trash. I had cut the sleeves but I just couldn't get it unwound. Same as a strap I had knitted. It kept knotting at the ends when I tried to unravel it. There will be no recycling this time around.

I still have a lot of unused yarn, so no more new yarn for awhile. No more pattern books either. I have three new books not to mention all the older books that I've knitted a single thing from.

Here's the knitting plan:

Finish knitting Scott Pilgrim Hat.
Knit a smaller gray sock monkey hat.
Knit the sweater from neck down pattern.
Knit Bolo for friend.

That should keep me busy for a while along with writing the novel, reading books, and chasing babies.

New table is coming along.

2012-01-12T15:23:00.000-08:00

We've had our dining room table for thirty years. We were lucky to find one that was exactly what we wanted at the time. Of course, as the years have passed, the kids have gotten bigger and our family size has increased. Currently we just throw up a card table at the end of the table to accommodate the extra guests. It works, but its kinda crummy as the card table is not at all solid.

I've been shopping for years now for a new table and I haven't liked anything I saw. The answer was obvious. I just needed to tell Steve what it was that I wanted. He took the suggestions and improved it to be even better. And so it begins.

Here's a brace. (I think that's what he said.)

Pounding on something. (Glad it's not me.)

Coming together.

Hot diggity. It's a table!

But this isn't the end of it. Soon, somehow (I have no idea how) there will be a scissor leaf added and the table length will double in size. I'm very excited about that. Almost as excited as I am about the new chairs he will build to go with it.

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-10T21:59:00.000-08:00

My Wood Bowl

2012-01-09T21:32:00.000-08:00

I spent the late afternoon creating a new blog for the husband and then found out I couldn't switch the new blog to the domain name. I remember a time when I lived on the computer and knew all about html and code. Those days are over which is actually a good thing, but now that I have a little more time, I'm at least figuring out a few things. The big one was giving my self to permission to post blog entries on his blog from my dashboard here. Sweet. Also something I knew I could do except I forgot about it.

The good news is that I cleaned it up a bit. I did really like the wood background that it had previously but the bottom line is that it distracted from the pictures and I added the jewelry box he made last month. It is so pretty.

It is made with mahogany and poplar. Tomorrow I'll add it to his Etsy store. If you would like to see more pictures of this jewelry box along with the other he made, you can go to his website at mywoodbowl.com

Sock Monkey Hat is Complete!

2012-01-05T18:30:00.000-08:00

Hooray! The sock monkey is complete. It is huge and I love it! Granted that it looks like it overwhelms my little wig head but it isn't that bad. It fits comfortably on an adult. The ears are not according to the pattern but I like them this way just fine. The ears were a booger to knit. The hardest part of the whole hat. I'm not use to knitting with only three double pointed needles.

I gotta say it turned out a lot better than I thought it would.

Now I need to decide if I want to keep it or put it up for sale at the Etsy store. Anyone interested in it?

I'm currently knitting the Scott Pilgrim hat but as soon as it is finished, I'll make another sock monkey hat in a smaller size using a different color. I think maybe I'll try it with the darker brown (?)

I'm so glad I learned to knit. Thank you Stephanie for teaching me!

Success with the block of the month

2012-01-05T14:48:00.000-08:00

This was my first attempt at the asterisk pattern for January's block of the month class. It was surprisingly easy and I did enjoy it.

The second block was called the wobbly which I very much did not enjoy. I don't know if it was the fabric I chose or just that I was no longer focused on it. I ripped out seam after seam after seam and when it was done, it looked bleah.

I was quite fed up with it and put everything away for the night, but it nagged at me. It nagged a lot. I knew I couldn't use this square as it stood and that it would need to be redone. So after a night's sleep, (I'd like to say it was good, but that would be a lie) and waking up to a caffeine withdrawal headache, I took some ibuprofen and got back to work on this block.

It was easy as pie, almost as calming as knitting. I made two mistakes and I can live with both of them. The first mistake was I used the same fabric as the first block. Oops. I can live with that as I simply won't put the two blocks next to each other (Or maybe I will) The second mistake was the last step.

The blocks are to be trimmed at 12 1/2" and I trimmed them to 12". Again, I can live with that.

Here's is my second attempt at the wobbly pattern. It isn't very wobbly and again, I am quite good with that. The off balance wobbly just makes my eyes cross.

I'm looking forward to having a new quilt at the end of the year. It's been decades since I made my last one. My sister-in-law Jan sews beautiful quilts. She has the talent to be extremely precise in her seams and has a good eye for fabric pattern choices. There are times I wish I could sew like she does, but that would take more effort than I'm willing to give. I just don't have the eye for detail as she does.

That doesn't stop me from trying though. I can't wait to see what the new blocks for February will be.

It's not to late for you to join the class too. Leave me a note in the comment section below and I'd love to see what your blocks look like.

One other thing, there seems to be a problem with being able to download the patterns at the website. I have a PDF copy. Just drop me an email if you would like a copy.

Happy sewing, knitting, embroidering, or whatever it is that is keeping your mind at peace and your hands busy.

Just crazy! Crazy I tell ya!

2012-01-02T12:00:00.000-08:00

What if those are regular knitting needles and she just happens to be a teeny tiny miniature person living in a tiny doll house?

In retrospect, I should keep this in mind. If I find that I can't spin worth a dime, I'll have to find a use for the roving that I have.

2012, What challenge are you accepting this year?

2012-01-01T19:37:00.000-08:00

I was tossing and turning last night. The year 2012 is upon us and I had no idea what new challenge I would take on. Last year was the big one with learning how to spin yarn. Mind you, I have a lot to learn and even more need to practice before I become decent with it but I do know how to do it now.

Then somewhere at sometime today, I found a link about a class for quilting a block a month. I gotta say that off hand, I think this will be the ugliest scrap quilt I have ever seen although I have only seen two blocks of it so far. But Hey! That's not the point.

The point is that you learn these different techniques. Two blocks a month for ten months. Months eleven and twelve are for putting it all together, batting, binding, etc. Plus the bonus is that it's FREE!

I've already watched the first video class and yes I did learn new techniques. I'm excited to learn more. Tomorrow I'll hit my office, find my scrap fabric, and get my supplies together. It'll be fun. Come join me.

It's at craftsy.com and you can see some samples of the class.

Meanwhile, I'm still loving my knitting group and my book club. I'm still trudging through the second draft of my novel but I really picked up speed with today's work. I'm still knitting away on my hats and I'm ready to perhaps start knitting something other than the Scott Pilgrim hats.

Although I will say that the Scott Pilgrim hats are a pleasure to knit. I swear I get a little on the mean side when I've been away from them to long, but they do take an awful long time for me to knit. I'd love to be able to do a hat in a few days. I'll think about that later.

Hell's Kitchen Slouch Hat Completed

2011-12-20T14:46:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe that I forgot to take pictures of the new slouch hat before I packed it up for shipping. Auuggg! The hat is the pattern as the Scott Pilgrim Hat except it was done in solid black. Wow! What a difference the color makes. Black is most definitely slimming. I was concerned because it looked so much smaller and that was confusing as I was using the same Patton's 100% wool yarn.

It was a simple illusion. Putting the black hat on the regular blue and brown hat showed they were still the same exact size.

I named this hat Hell's Kitchen Slouch Hat as I watched four seasons of Hell's Kitchen while knitting it. I think I might have knitted faster without that show being on. Where do they find these people? I can't say how many times I sat there staring at the boob tube with my mouth gaping open. I now understand that I would never want to work or be anywhere near Hell's Kitchen. It's like passing a horrible car accident. You don't want to look but you just can't help your self. I only have four more seasons to watch before I will be set free again.

Meanwhile back on the needles is Mister Sock Monkey Hat. I am loving it. The main hat is completed and I have done the red trim on the bottom along with adding to the two braids on the side.

I still need to knit the ears and the mouth and do the pom pom for the top which I will work on tonight. I've got the grandkids for the day and I still have no idea how any parent can write when they are called away from the keyboard every few minutes. Seriously, I started this post over thirty minutes ago.

On a final note: Here's my plug for Netflix and Hulu Plus. I love Netflix for it's selection. Yes, it could have a larger selection, but what it has is satisfying.

Hulu Plus was better than I expected. The con is that it does have commercials but they are only a few and the best part of their commercials is that they don't blast you when they come on. In fact, it's just the opposite. The commercials are actually lower than the show's volume. That is a big plus in my book. I haven't explored the selection a lot but I know Hulu has the old series Time Tunnel which is a kick in the pants.

I tried Hulu Plus for the free first week trial. I am pleased with what they have provided so far. It's a keeper in addition to the Netflix online streaming.

side note:
Interruptions consisted of:
Must go outside to play with gc
gc needs cleaner to clean windows
gc needs paper towel
gc needs to be picked up to reach
gc needs paper towel picked up from floor
gc needs to change pants as someone didn't make it to the bathroom in time
gc needs dvd started
gc needs hot dog
gc needs hot dog cooked and cut
gc needs fork
Need to find where gc put window cleaner

Blog entry finished. No more interruptions.

Hells Kitchen Slouch Hat

2011-12-12T21:54:00.000-08:00

I should change the name of my Scott Pilgrim Hat that I'm knitting to Hell's Kitchen Slouch Hat. I knitted all day today while watching Hell's Kitchen season 2. Yesterday was all of season 1. I have to say that I think Hell's Kitchen looks as if it is going to be like Survivor in the sense that each season the contestants try to be bigger obnoxious assholes than the previous season. Such a shame.

I will say that show has opened my eyes to behind the scenes. Not just the yelling that goes on or the politics or whatever, just the hard tedious work. So glad I didn't choose that as a career. I also realized that with all the swearing, the name calling, the insults that are hurled by Gordon Ramsey, I gotta say that they all had it coming. I'm surprised he doesn't throw them out before the night is out.

I got an email today from one of the husband's best friend, Roy Bean, promoting his completed books now available on the Kindle at Amazon. Augg! I'm so jealous, but I'm also happy for him. I'm also happy for Klayton who has finished his first novel and is working on his second. Meanwhile, I'm still working on the 2nd draft of Redemption. I was hoping to do more writing this week, but I really do prefer the knitting. Thank goodness I have Jennifer who is also writing her novel. Joining a group and setting up that once a week deadline guarantees progress.

No more sleeping in. Gotta get the most out of the time I have available. No more iPad in the morning. That puppy will keep me in bed til noon.

Callussed finger and on the tube

2011-12-11T20:11:00.000-08:00

Oh wow! The Scott Pilgrim hat in solid black looks fantastic. Knitted all day and my wrist feels great. That might be due to my having it wrapped all day yesterday. However, there is not much feeling in the tip of my primary finger that holds the needle I got a 25 rows knitted on the hat and I ddi an additional few rows on the sock monkey hat.

On the tube was Conan. I was hesitant to watch it mainly due to the trailers that were lack luster and the eyeliner that Conan was encrusted in. turns out that eyeliner was just for the posters.

I was pleased to hear Morgan Freeman's voice as the narrator. I love his voice. Makes me feel all comfy cozy. Ron Perlman was wonderful although his character looked more like a caveman. The film wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It was forgettable. I was disappointed at the death of the witch. It seemed a bit anticlimactic. Action scenes abounded but so did the flaws. Once Conan had what the King wanted, he didn't need to look for him. The King would have come to him and yet they send this woman off on her own with no escort. Raise your hand if you were surprised she was captured. I'll watch it a second time but probably not again. As I said it is forgettable.

Also watched the first season of Hell's Kitchen for the first time. It's not as bad as I thought it would be. Not that I would ever want to participate in that show. (lol)

Sock monkey on hold

2011-12-10T14:26:00.000-08:00

I did get to knit some more on sock monkey hat today, but then I got an order for the scott pilgrim hat in solid black. That should be interesting. Meanwhile sock monkey has to be put on hold. I'm sure I'll still add a couple of rows when I get a chance. I've moved up to the white color. It is so exciting watching it come together.

On the tube, Harper's Island. That was a cool mini series. Got boring after a while as each episode knocked off another resident, but I did really like the ending. Made it all worth the boring parts.

I missed a blog entry a couple days ago. It really bugged me. I'm still working on what kind of blog this should be and I don't think I'll ever settle for one thing. Just my randomness and that will have to be good enough.

Crazy sock monkey and on the tube

2011-12-09T22:50:00.000-08:00

Tell me again why I chose to knit a sock monkey hat? It is going to look crazy as well as anyone who would wear it. Just as I am crazy for knitting hours on end on it. I kept saying, "One more row. Just one more row." Of course, after that row, there was one more row. I can feel that nerve pull all the way up to my elbow. I must be crazy cause I still want to knit that one more row.

On the tube tonight is The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Granted it has subtitles, but I've watched it enough times that I could still knit and enjoy the film. The new version is soon to be released. I've mixed feelings about it. The new version is not so much a remake, but a different adaptation of the book. There is more focus on the accident that blocked the bridge when Harriet disappeared. I wonder if they will also be making new films on the other two books.

Score! Best find ever!

2011-12-07T20:46:00.000-08:00

I finally got the nerve to talk to the neighbors down the street and asked if they wanted to sell the Little Tykes playhouse that they had in the front yard. Hooray! They said yes and they only wanted ten dollars for it. Super Score! I even had ten bucks in my wallet.

That said wallet is now empty and I have one happy grand daughter.

Her grandpa went down and dismantled it to bring it home. The bad thing about Little Tykes products is that they are not meant to be disassembled once they've been assembled. Grandpa had a problem with the bolts and washers. Not that it kept him from doing the job.

House is assembled and she loves it. Unfortunately she also wanted to take it home with her at the end of the day. The word no did not please her at all.

I loved how she went inside and used the phone to call her mommy. She opened and closed the windows. Simple child's play. It was fabulous.

Minimal knitting done as the baby needed a bit more bouncing and attention than normal. I got my double pointed needles today. Oops. Wrong size. I needed size ten. I ordered ten inch size 10.5. I'm not going to worry about it considering I've adapted the needles to begin with.

Spent some time in the kitchen today. I made bacon and sausage in the oven for the first time. First I checked out youtube to see how to do the bacon. Four different videos gave me four different ways. I chose tin foiled covered cookie sheet, 350 degrees for 20 minutes. I didn't turn over.

Bacon came out crispy. No limpness to it, but not burnt. Cleanup was nice. No grease on the stove to clean up and my kitchen didn't get all smokey like it usually does. Those are all pros in my book. The sausage came out ok too. Very hard not to eat it all up before the party.

On the tube: Ghost of Mars Off the tube: Ghost of Mars
Cheap cheap ass sets. It makes me think of watching a film from the sixties. Bad acting due to bad script. Surprising cast assemble with zero chemistry. I won't be wasting my time watching the whole film considering it starts with an investigating court with the soul survivor of the event. That pretty much tells me the cast gets killed. I know that it's an organism that possesses the body. I don't have the patience for the flash backs in such a short film. Not on my watch again, but I think I will do a fast forward followed by a hot shower. (TMI?)

Off the needles and on again

2011-12-06T19:03:00.000-08:00

I totally get now why the ear flaps are knitted on double pointed needles. That said, I am as much a fan of new patterns as I am of taking a test on any subject. I don't know why I freak at the thought of a test, but I do. Any and all knowledge I have of a topic goes flying out the window the moment the word test is said. If I know there will be a test before I begin to study, I will only see a blank page. Happens every time and I did not ever grow out of it.

So it goes with following a new knitting pattern. The pattern called for an increase in stitches at both the beginning and end of the row. I missed the part about the end of the row and so I ended up with an ear flap large enough for an elephant. Perhaps that is a tad bit of an exaggeration, but not much. If I was knitting an elephant, it would have been the perfect size.

After completing said two gargantuan ear flaps, I realized something was very wrong. I had two right ear flaps. I admit that I saw it coming, but I had to see it completed before I looked at the pattern to see what went wrong. Found the error of my ways. That little extra stitch at the end made all the difference in the world. Cut my rows down to twenty instead of thirty-five reducing the gargantiousness of it. (yeah, I made up that word or just misspelled it) Then it came to knitting the flaps onto the circular needles.

That took some back and forth off the needles as I didn't use the double pointed needles. I didn't have them in the size I was needed, so I used regular ones. Back and forth I went, till I got it right. Almost right.
After knitting the first flap and adding 18 stitches, I knitted the second flap on. Then I realized I was using the wrong strand of yarn. Instead of picking up from the ball, I had picked up the leader yarn from the ear flap. Auggg!

I hate picking up stitches. I ripped the ear flap from needles and threw the whole thing to the side. The little voice in my head told me not to lose my temper and rip out everything. I know I would rather go to the dentist and have teeth pulled then pick up stitches, but tomorrow is another day. Things always look better in the morning.

I've lived long enough to know to listen to the little voice.

Morning came and I was glad that I hadn't ripped it all out. With the rising sun, I figured out a way to fake the double pointed needles and got all the stitches where they should be. So easy, when you pay attention to what you are doing and not blanking out because there might be a test.

Next came the joining. Do not twist. I said DO NOT TWIST. For the seventh time, DO NOT FRICKING TWIST! Wheh! All is on the needle as it should be without twisting. Like I heard my self the first time. Maybe the voice could have told the yarn instead of yelling at me. Sheesh.

Now it's the easy part. (Famous last words?) No, really. It's just simple knitting in the round for the three to four inches.

I still think it's going to be a lot bigger than I expected, but an adult may be able to wear it comfortably. Alicia said she would wear it. She is a crazy person.

On the tube, NADA. The Vampire Diaries were ok, but I would rather have the peace and quiet for the time being. Threw the Lord of The Rings DVD on earlier today. Watched none of it.

On the Needles and The Vampire Diaries

2011-12-05T18:49:00.000-08:00

The first thing I did this morning was get my new black and white floral storage box and filled it with all the yarn and needles and supplies including the patterns for the sock monkey, and the Scott Pilgrim hat. The material for the sweater is there, but I'll deal with that later.

Watched some videos about the knit forward and backward to add a stitch. That worked out pretty well. I started the sock monkey hat. It will probably be huge. I'm using a different yarn than recommended. It called for size 5 needles, but my swatch ended up being seven inches instead of four. I've increased the needles size to ten. So far, it looks good, but I think it's going to be huge.

On the tube, The Vampire Diaries. Believe it or not, as much I love my vampire flicks, I've never watched it. My impression of the first show was great beginning which quickly went to (snore) Twilight without the werewolf but I think I'm only in it for ten minutes so far and then I see it going towards the cast of Buffy without the slayer. What's with the fog that comes and goes? Perhaps a little Alfred Hitchock and The Birds? I guess so cause that's what Elaina just said.

I won't bore you with a minute by minute call on this show as I'm watching it. That's what Twitter is for. (lol) I would just like to say it feels so much like Twilight. I will scream if this vampire sparkles.

Off the needles and on the tube

2011-12-04T17:05:00.000-08:00

I read somewhere once, I can't recall where, someone said that it's not a bad thing when we have to rip out what we knitted. It's actually a good thing because that means we get to knit more and since we love to knit, that's a win/win situation.

Someone needs to to smack that person upside the head with a rolled up newspaper. Is she crazy or what? Ripping out rows is simple as pie. Picking up all those stitches is a whole other story. Picking up stitches is not knitting.

I had to rip out two rows yesterday and I spent a good couple hours picking up those darn stitches. It is not the same as knitting. It's time consuming and you really got to watch what you are doing. I would rather rip out the whole thing and start completely fresh than pick up stitches.

In this particular case I had 120 rows completed out of 135. I bit the bullet and picked up the stitches and I'm happy to say that the hat is now complete and ready to get listed at Etsy.

Now I'm torn. I want a new sweater, but I want to knit the sock monkey hat, and I do need to start a new Scott Pilgrim hat. The question is, do I choose one or start all three?

Meanwhile, on the tube, I sat down and watched Scream. Yep, the first one. I always got upset when Drew Barrymore's character was killed. It was a bit brutal and I like Drew. I couldn't bring my self to watch it. I didn't have a problem with Scream 2,3, or 4. Just the first one. Of course after, the first murder, it wasn't that bad at all and it had it's funny moments. More like ridiculous moments. I think Scary movie pretty much covered it. I can't believe she tried to get through the dog door and who has a dog door.

I also watched Scream 4 a few weeks back. All I could think of was CSI while watching the end. She obviously didn't think of the autopsy that would be performed. How do you explain shooting the guy in the groin and in the head when he is in the prone position? A little personal, don'tcha think? But the big giveaway would be the adhesive on his skin from the friggen duct tape. So obvious. Not that it mattered cause the bad guy always dies in Scream.

Speaking of duct tape, did you know that duct tape now comes in pretty girly colors now? It's true. Saw it at Lowe's today.

Time to hit the kitchen and make some spagetti, decorate the tree, wrap gifts, and contemplate the knitting.
Any suggestions as to what I should do?

On the needles and on the tube

2011-12-03T20:46:00.000-08:00

Augg! Hat not going to be completed tonight after all. Somehow, somewhere, my yarn got weirded out. I ended up with brown knits where blue knits should be and vice versa. I have no idea what I did and whereas this pattern is forgiving when you skip a stitch or two, there is no way that this can be skipped over. That means I get the fun of ripping out a couple of rows and picking it up.

On the tube, perhaps one of the reasons why the stitches got messed up, was the film "The Horde". I didn't realize at the time of choosing it that this was filmed in French with English subtitles. That made knitting go a lot slower.

Not a horrible flick, kept me a little on edge. I jumped mainly when someone walked in the room and even when the dog walked by. This is a zombie movie with a tiny twist. The zombies move fast as all get out. I'm not use to fast zombies.

I thought the casting was well done. Interesting characters. It had two huge flaws. One was the instant population of thousands of zombies. How did that happen? One moment everything is ok, the next moment the city is burning and what was with the explosions? The other flaw is the building's attraction to the zombies. The building is a multiple story condemned apartment complex. No one should live there but there are a few occupants. So in a large populated city, albeit a burning city, why would thousands of zombies be attracted to this one building?

Another flaw I see in modern zombie movies is when the characters shoot twenty times into the body torso. Who on Earth doesn't know you take out the head? Even after they kill, the first couple ones, they still shoot at the body and they don't leave a final bullet for their self when they are being bombarded by the zombies. It just doesn't make sense.

On the needles and on the tube

2011-12-02T20:51:00.000-08:00

I'm happy to say that I'm almost finished with the latest Scott Pilgrim hat. I'm hoping I'll have it finished tomorrow and definitely by Sunday. Once I get it listed, I'll start a new one with a ten row daily quota and also start knitting the sock monkey hat. I'm nervous about it. I've never been good at following patterns.

The Stitch N Bitch is next Thursday. It was really hard not to go overboard on the menu. We're having breakfast for dinner. I had to settle for scrambled eggs, pancakes, chocolate chip pancakes, sausage and bacon. I wanted to add french toast and waffles but no one is going to eat that much food.

On the tube tonight is a movie titled Half Light. Demi Moore is the star of this film and it is a really nice spooky suspense film. Demi plays a novelist who lost her son to an unfortunate accident (always makes me cry). Her marriage ends and she goes to a deserted cottage with a light house nearby. Ghostly things happen. I love the twist at the end. It's not what you may think it is. I really do like this film. It's not a slasher/screamer. Just good old fashion suspense and a little creepy.

Now I'm back to the needles.

Crazy Winds

2011-12-01T21:26:00.000-08:00

Only got a few rows knitted today but today was one of those unexpected nothing goes as planned days which kicked me completely out of whack with any possible time track schedule I had planned.

It started with the winds, big powerful, not ending, rip off your roof tiles, bang bang shebang against the walls all night winds. Woke up with no electrical power and I take much comfort in knowing I'm not the only person who laughs at the lack of power and then immediately tries to switch on the light. Walk out of the room, come back in and flip the switch yet again. Let's not forget getting the water ready and popping it into the microwave. Ug! Enough. I head over to my daughter's to watch the girls and hooray. Today is a short day just a couple of hours.

Wrong. Their fence was totally demolished. Well, mostly. What it did mean was that it would not be a short day, but a full day. So I packed up the kids and brought them back here and we had a busy day of running about which was challenging as there was no tv, no iPad, and people running in and out of the door. I will say it was nice not having to listen to the bell on Blue's Clues which sounds exactly like a text message alert and Miss Dora the Explorer will never be missed with her "oh man".

Having no power has it's perks. No heat is not a perk and I was very very happy when the power came on. I sympathize with those who are still without power. I am grateful all our trees are still standing although they are leaveless butt naked now whereas last week they had full beautiful red and orange leaves.

The news is full of coverages about trees coming down on cars and houses. A lot of damage has been done and even if the homeowner's coverage will pay for it, there is that big chunk of change known as a deductible.

As far as I know the worse is over. Wind alert until tomorrow at 3. Winds at 30 mph are much better than 80 mph. I think I'll be able to sleep tonight.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-30T19:53:00.000-08:00

On the needles and on the tube

2011-11-29T19:59:00.000-08:00

Happy to say that once again I reached the 25 row quota today. Actually even made it to row 26. Most of it was a few stitches here and a few stitches there and while the kids were napping.

One thing the hubby can never understand is how I can watch the Godfather a hundred zillion times. Now mind you that it's a great movie, but the thing is, I don't actually sit down and watch it. I catch glimpses of it and mainly listen as I do with most shows. I don't know how many times I had watched the series Jekyll until I caught a glimpse of the two of them in the car at the same time. Why? Cause I don't really watch it.

Tonight's viewing pleasure was the old classic The Pit and the Pendulam with Vincent Price. Goes to show I don't pay attention or retain what's on the screen because I, for the life of me, could not remember if the guy escaped or ended up mice meat on the rack. Next on the boob tube is the series Angel. I need something a little light after watching this weeks' episode of The Walking Dead.

So I've been thinking about the blog and something I read. I suppose if I want to build up my readers, I need to be more focused on a specific topic instead of all over the board like I do. Yeah, I tried that before. It didn't really work out for me, but considering this is day 29, that means I've blogged everyday for almost three months. It's all about routine and habit.

More I need to think about on that topic.

On Knitting

2011-11-28T19:50:00.000-08:00

Thrilled that my last Scott Pilgrim Hat sold last week before I even had a chance to list it. (g) But that means I need to get to knitting a new one to put on Etsy. I had made a goal of knitting ten rows a day but I'm trying to kick that up to a minimum of 20 daily. So far, two days in a row have worked. I'm hoping hoping to get it finished by Friday, but probably won't happen as I want to go Christmas tree shopping on Thursday and that means tree decorating, lights going up and all the rest which probably means no knitting or ten rows at the most.

Monday for sure I'm hoping to get the Scott Pilgrim hat listed. I love the new yarn I got from the last order. The brown is much richer and deeper.

I made the mistake of washing my sweaters in the machine and throwing them in the dryer. Now they are way to small. I loved the gray sweater I had knitted but the armholes are to tight and they are much tighter since the trip to the dryer. I think I'll dump them all and start over.

I have a ton of white yarn and I think I'm going to design a specific pattern that goes between the bust line and waist line. I just have to decide what. So much I want to knit and not enough time.

On the cooking side of the day, I made my very first Micky Mouse pancake. Without saying anything, I gave it to my grand daughter. She paused while she looked at it, and then said, "Micky Mouse" Hooray! She recognized it.

All in all, an excellent day and I still have a couple more hours tonight that I can be knitting.

Happy Holidays and The FaceBook Virus

2011-11-27T11:35:00.000-08:00

I will surround my self with positive thoughts to ward off the second round of sore throat, congestion, coughing crud and what the heck is with the dry skin between the eyes. I will be thankful that this time around, I only have the crud stuck in my throat and not the burning every time you swallow pain like I did on the first round when I had this a week or two ago.

Hubby is settled in his chair watching football. He woke up with his crud on Thanksgiving morning, but he did his best to keep his distance from people.

I visited with my 92 year old mother in law and she is sick too. Perhaps I stayed too long and that's why I'm going for round two with this crud.

Seems everyone is sick and I've found a common factor. It's Face Book! Yes! Its true. Everyone who is sick has either been on Facebook or has been with someone who has been on Facebook. It explains why so many people are sick.

The cycle needs to be broken. We just keep reinfecting each other. I don't have a cure for it, but I think from now on, perhaps we should wear disposable gloves and face masks when going on Facebook and see if that can cut back on the spread a bit and definitely more hand washing after every use.

Any other suggestions?

I didn't mean to pass that on to my kids.

2011-11-26T20:38:00.000-08:00

As we gathered about the kitchen chatting away, the discussion soon turn to granddaughter Evelyn and my daughter mentioned that she was almost four years old.

"The heck you say!" was my response. She's only three years old.

"No, she's three and a half and that's close enough to being four."

I strongly disagreed and that brought the response of "Remember when I was fourteen and you said sixteen and I said fourteen and you said close enough?"

"No, I don't recall that at all," which is of course a big fat lie. However, I defend my position. There is a huge difference between three years old and four years old compared to a fourteen and sixteen year old. You get to a point in your life and depending on your maturity, a year or two doesn't make that big of a difference.

Still, it got me to thinking that in the short time of six months, my three year old will be four years old which means add one year and she'll be five years old. I told you before math is not my friend. I know my daughter agrees with me that we both can't believe how quickly the time has flown by.

I am going to hold each precious moment close as I can because next thing I know, Evelyn will be a tween and I can only hope that she still thinks her grandma is the bestest game in town.

The Day After Thanksgiving. Let the blood flow.

2011-11-25T20:31:00.000-08:00

When will the madness stop? Thanksgiving day is a day where you gather your loved ones, over feed them to the best of your ability, play and chat and make a ton of dirty dishes. Beautiful day, especially if you are lucky enough to see those you love that you don't normally have the opportunity to visit with.

Yet, the day after all this love, we find the crazies out looking for that special bargain. Stores are now opening at midnight to give you that one in a million find and good luck battling the crowds to do so. Headlines abound. Grandfather knocked unconscious by security. Good heavens! I get that they thought he might be shoplifting as he popped that object in his waist band. According to the family, he was trying to protect his grandson from the crowd and just put it there so he could have his hands free. I buy that story, but even if I didn't, there was no reason to knock the man unconscious and bloody his nose. For one thing, a crime had not actually been committed. It ain't shoplifting until you walk out the door or at the very least leave the register area.

This is followed by the woman who sprayed everyone with pepper spray. What was she thinking? Now she's got the cops looking for her. That isn't a bargain by any means.

I find it so disgusting. I hold the stores fully responsible for creating this mayhem by offering unbelievable deals for a limited few items that hundreds of people are going to want to purchase.

Frankly, there is not an object on this planet that I would want knowing that the gift giver had knocked someone on their butt for it. It really is not what Christmas is suppose to be about.

I am simply disgusted as I am this time every year at the inhumanity and greed that is shown. I would love to hear a few stories about the generosity that is shown. I know people like that still exists.

I know there are stories about people who go out of their way to help those people who are home bound, the elderly that are spending their last days in nursing homes with families who no longer come by. I suppose we call them the unsung heroes. Still, it would be nice to hear more about them.

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T22:39:00.001-08:00

Before the hour passes and I miss blogging today, I shall set aside my knitting to give my thanks.

I am thankful that my family was here to spend it with me. My children have grown and yet they have not flown away. They still love me and will remain in the same room with me. It is sad that so many people in the world do not have that simple pleasure. I am thankful I am allowed to see my grandchildren and be a part of their lives.

I am thankful for my brothers and sister and that I don't question for one moment if they would be there for me at a moments notice even though they live on the other side of the country.

I am thankful for my friends. I am thankful for the Internet and that it was the tool to find friends that were once long lost.

I am thankful to have a good marriage, to have a strong spouse who keeps me stable and yet gives me the room to grow and explore with full support. A husband who is crazy to put up with my nonsense and still love me all the same. Very thankful for him as he allows me to be the spoiled child I am.

I am thankful for my health and the years I've lived.

I am thankful for today.

I am thankful for the simple things in life as well as the less mundane things.

It is easy to be thankful when you look around and see so many who do not have the simple things as family, health, trust, happiness.

Or even knitting needles.

- KG

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-23T12:52:00.000-08:00

My favorite toddler and baby iPad Apps

2011-11-22T12:00:00.000-08:00

The iPad is not a cheap toy by any means and the thought of handing it over to a one year old or younger is mind boggling. Why would you take the chance of the iPad being broken? What a waste of money!!!

And yet... what a fantastic investment in a child's education. Believe it or not, the iPad is incredibly durable. The toddler hitting the screen with their hands won't crack it. The iPad dropping on the floor from a toddler's height won't break it. Dropping the iPad from the height of the kitchen counter onto a tile floor is another story.

What I'm trying to say here is to not be afraid to give the iPad/iPhone to your baby or toddler. It keeps them entertained, educates them, and keeps them very happy for a long time.

This my list of aps for the little ones:

Itsy Bitsy Spider: Based on the Itsy Bitsy song, there are multiple places to touch the screen and see the action happen. The window opens and something springs out. Find out what's behind the hedge. Watch the spider go up the spout. Up on the roof, the cloud blows, the rain falls, and a little squirrel gathers nuts. Back down the drain, the caterpillar eats the cupcake and eventually turns into a butterfly. Collect the colored eggs and drop the hats from the birds. All along, Cloey the fly (who doesn't look much like a fly at all) explains about the rain, the rainbow, etc when clicked on. A nice non annoying tune plays in the back ground. This is an all time favorite.
Old McDonald: Similar to the Itsy Bitsy ap, you touch the screen and watch the figures take action. This has the theme song playing through out.
Wheels On the Bus Interactive book: Ha ha ha. My three year old just showed me that you can honk the horn on the bus. I've had this ap since she was six months old and it never occurred to me to try the horn. This is another favorite. Cute characters, bright colors, and can be played in multiple languages. As with the others, you touch the screen for action. For example, the wipers on the bus go swish swish swish all over town. You touch the wipers and slide them back and forth.
Alpha Baby: Love this ap for babies. You start with a blank screen. When you touch the screen, either a letter, a number, or a photo will appear and the ap will say out loud what the item is. You can stretch the size of the object or send it bouncing across the screen. You can record the name of the object in the photo as well. I used this with my granddaughter adding pictures of family members. The recording feature is great because you can choose what level of excitement you want the tone to be.
Monkey Preschool Lunchbox: I've had this since Evelyn was a year old. It includes memory games, puzzles, colors, sizes, and numbers. It has the cutest little monkey who does flips when you solve the task at hand. Stickers are awarded at the end of the set. I thought it would be a bit advanced for her, but she adapted to it well.

These are just a few of the aps I have. They have remained favorites for the years I have had them. As Evelyn has gotten older, I've added several more. The puzzles and memory games are her favorites.

One ap not to neglect is the Netflix ap. I'm not sure how Evelyn found the shows she did, I've discovered a few kid shows I wasn't aware of. She is currently watching Baby First and is mesmerized by it. I can't say anything about it yet, but I know that I'm not hearing annoying sounds like the repetitious 'BACKPACK BACKPACK!" and "Oh MAN!" from Dora The Explorer show.

As great as the iPad is, we can not forget that the simple things in life still make the best toys. Something like grandma's purse and a set of keys.

A shopping I must go

2011-11-21T21:49:00.000-08:00

Yay! I had a repeat customer for my Scott Pilgrim style hat. One of my customers lost his hat or perhaps it might have been taken which is not good news but I'm so happy he looked me up again. Even happier that the hat I was knitting was almost finished and he won't have to wait long. In fact, I finished it today!

You know what that means? It means I go shopping. I bought some more stitch markers from bead passion@ Etsy. I've made two purchases from her before and love her products. The new ones are little dolls.

Good thing I dropped in at Amazon cause all the books I had ordered for Evelyn for Xmas were not shipped or available. And I had stuff in my shopping cart that I guess I hadn't checked out. Oops.

Guess I better get back to knitting again so I can go shopping again.

What's on my iPad

2011-11-20T13:14:00.000-08:00

My friend Rebecca asked what she can do to make the most of her iPad. I've had my iPad for over a year and my iPhone for over three years. These are the aps on mine that have remained the duration of time.

For productivity must have:

HD Pocket Informant: Calendar and task list. The calendar syncs with the google calendar. Includes alarms and repeat features.
Line 2: This is a phone feature for the iPad/iphone and requires 3G or wireless connection. For only $9.99 a month, you get a phone line and unlimited text messaging.
Shop Shop: Grocery list. You can have more than one list. It memorizes what you list so that you don't have to type it in each time.
Gas Cubby: Tracks your mpg along with service for your car. You can list more than one car.
Awesome Note: It is just that. AWESOME! This is a notebook. As many folders as you like. You can password protect individual folders if you want to. There is a variety of formats for your folders. You can have a to do list, a journal, a diary, a list, photo, or thumbnail. You can add photos. This one is a lifesaver for me.
Kindle: You can't go wrong getting the Kindle on your iPad. Instant access to books and so many books out there that are free. Plus the Kindle ap is free.
Flixster: See what is showing at your local theater, what's being released on DVD, and watch trailers.
What's on: TV guide
Pages: Affordable word processor that will also save your pages to Word format. Easy to share the files.
Numbers: Similar to Excel worksheet
Days Until: This is a nice little gadget that I don't use as often except for the little things like how many days until my mortgage is paid off (1,197), how many days til I go on vacation, how many days until Christmas.

Tomorrow I'll write about apps for the kids.

Concur With Big Sister Advice

2011-11-19T19:36:00.000-08:00

Every now and then, a person can find their self in a rut. That rut begins to drag them down. They become depressed and continue what they are doing which makes their depression even deeper.

Ardee wrote an article on Open Salon that listed her best platitudes that she shared with her sister and as a reminder to her self that these apply to her as well as others.

My two favorite ones are:

1. Make lists. Lots and lots of lists. I cannot begin to fathom how I would get along without my lists. My lists keep me focused and things actually get accomplished. I'm not talking about your standard task "to do" chore list. There are other lists of things:
Big purchases I would like.
Places I want to Go.
Renovations I want.
Books I want to read.

You add dates to that list and you've got a winner. You are also more likely to do them in my opinion.

The other platitude I liked is: Try not to spend too much time watching or reading the news.

It's not like they give unbiased news coverage. You don't get all the facts and what snippet they do give may or may not be filled with inaccuracies. The sensationalism and focus on the negative is enough to scare you from walking out your front door. Or maybe that's just me.

Check out the link to read the whole article. It wouldn't be a bad idea to print it out and tape it next to your mirror.

When we talk about love

2011-11-18T18:59:00.000-08:00

The book's title is "When we talk about love" by Raymond Carver published in 1989. It is several short stories about pathetic people who have a wee bit of a problem with their alcohol. The stories are depressing because they are so true to life. There is no romantic fantasy in these stories. There is no happily ever after ending. It is about loss, despair, regret, and a few woulda shoulda's.

You will not feel uplifted after reading this book, and yet the writing is spot on. I read this book for our monthly book club. This book inspired the best, most exciting viewpoint exchanges. It even brought that nostalgic pitter patter rapid heart beat of memories from the innocence young love and life beginning from the story, "Why don't you dance?".

I was incredibly lucky to have two members know more about the history of the stories from the writer Raymond Carver which also gave more merit to the discussion.

I highly recommend this book if you are participating in a group discussion. It's a fast read. I read it in one day. Some people couldn't stomach the stories. Some refused to read past the first few. But that just goes to show how good the writing is. The fact that it can invoke such emotions proves Mr. Carver was an excellent writer. People did not want to go to the dark place in humanity that he led them to.

I don't know that I'll read this book a second time. I think it is a little like child birth. You need a little time between to forget the pain before you choose to attempt again.

On a personal note, perhaps the young couple down the street from me should read this book. Maybe if they can see them selves, they could change for the better. I wish.

The first fight I heard from them was "F U. I hate you" and yet I could hear in the tone "I love you"
This morning's fight was "F U. I want a divorce." Sad, I still hear the "I love you," but the tone was "not as much."

I am positive if this couple went to marriage counseling they could save their marriage, but I don't see that happening. They are still to young which is a shame because I know they do love each other. I'll just keep my fingers crossed for them.

How to Kill the Inner Critic

2011-11-17T12:07:00.000-08:00

As I sit and work on the 2nd draft of Redemption, I find my self dragging through each sentence. I hear the knitting needles call. There is an old movie playing called The Maze that I've never seen before. The dog is hogging my side of the couch. A few distractions to say the least, but they bring me comfort and a reason to whine as to why the writing isn't being done.

I've made a commitment though. One or two chapters are due every Friday. Friday is a full day of working with the girls and no writing will be done which leaves today and only a few hours at that before I leave for the book club.

Behind all those distractions and wanting to do other things is that little inner critic telling me to go right ahead and do those things. There is no real need to finish the second draft. It really isn't even long enough to be a real book since the first half was cut out. No one is even going to read the stupid thing except for maybe my daughter and we all know she doesn't have time to read a book any more than I have time to write a book.

Stupid inner critic. Lucky for me that I have the other critic that actually likes me. It likes my story too. It reminds me that I actually do want to finish the second draft if for no other reason so that it won't be eating at my brains as a must do on my task list. The big challenge will be the third draft. That last statement comes from the inner critic who laughs at me as if the third draft is even a possibility.

Perhaps my next novel will be about the inner critic and it's demise. I know it can't be killed, but perhaps it can be locked up in a bottle as an evil genie. Things to ponder.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-16T13:58:00.000-08:00

First attempt at waffles. Can you believe it at my age?

2011-11-15T16:33:00.000-08:00

Hard to believe at my age that I've never made waffles. Those freezer ones you pop in the toaster don't count.

The first thing I did was buy a cast iron as all the reviews for the electric ones talked about the waffles being raw in sections. Besides, the last thing I need is an additional cord. Cast iron it is. All the better to smack someone upside the head when they say I'm not cooking fast enough. (Not that anyone would say such a thing in this house.)

I used the Bisquick recipe as I didn't have buttermilk or the desire to whip up a substitute.

First waffle: disaster. Not cooked and stuck completely to pan. More than a few moments were taken to clean and start over.

Second waffle: better. Cooked on one side, stuck but not as much.

Third waffle: Distraction at hand. Daughter supervising which means I overflowed the pan.

(Daughter, if you attempt retaliation for me posting your picture,

I will feed all my disaster waffles to your dog Finney. He will be fat and happy.)

Lesson learned: do not spray aerosol oil over open flame.
Fire pretty.
Fire bad.

Result: Almost cooked on one side. Burnt on other. The good news is NO STICKING. YAY!

Fourth waffle: perfect on one side. No stick. No golden brown on other side

Fifth and last waffle cause the baby is now awake. 3 min med heat side one. 3 min side 2

Ack!! Side 1 burnt. Side 2 cooked but no even coloring.

Today's lesson is over. Baby says, I WANT ATTENTION NOW!

I haven't given up. I will get the hang of the timing and flame height. I'm just thrilled the waffles aren't sticking. That and the fact that I didn't burn the house down. That's always a good thing.

I'm pregnant and all alone

2011-11-14T13:40:00.000-08:00

“I’m pregnant and all alone in this. Come back here and take responsibility. You’re leaving? You don’t want your baby?”

This is what I heard from the crying young woman on the sidewalk in front of my house. She’s a beautiful girl and it broke my heart to watch her despair.

I wanted to tell her that she isn’t alone. She’s not the first to fall in love and believe that he will stand by her and take care of her should something like this happen. She’s not the first to be surprised that he ran with his tail tucked between his legs. She’s not the first to be blamed and told that it is all her problem.

I wanted to tell her that she isn’t alone. Her family will still love her, will love her child, and will be there to help her through this all. She isn’t alone. Someone out there will help her.

Her life will be different. No doubt about that, but reality is that her life would be different as the years go by anyway, with or without a baby. She’ll meet new people, find new loves, and she’ll get through this.

My heart breaks for her.

Poison races through my blood to the young coward who abandoned her. How hard is it to realize that if a girl is old enough to have sex, she is old enough to get pregnant? Why can’t you be man enough to take responsibility to prevent that?

Alas, that is a question that has probably been asked since the beginning of civilization. Teen pregnancy is nothing new. I don’t have the answers.

On the market!

2011-11-13T14:35:00.000-08:00

I'm happy to say that I'm feeling much better today. The throat is a little closed up, but yahoo!, it is not burning and I'm good with that. Dishes are done, laundry is done, and the pictures of the new hat taken.

Yep, the Scott Pilgrim Hat is back on the market at Etsy. I like this one. I got the yarn from JoAnn's online instead of going to the store. The brown is darker and richer. I liked the color of the blue from the super wash wool but I did not like how it felted up. Still the two colors that I used do look great together.

I've been looking at books on Amazon again. I know. It is a bad thing, but I had to check out a book I had seen at Sam's Club called Welcome Home Baby. It looked really fantastic but then I saw that she uses size 17 needles. Ack! For a hat? Really? I can't imagine knitting a hat with size 17 needles. I think I'll pass on the book for a while. I'm pretty sure that I'll still buy it. Perhaps I'll just wait for the price to drop.

Who had the germs?

2011-11-12T15:33:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning come around four o'clock with a familiar burning in my throat. I give tremendous thanks that it is nothing like what I endured earlier this year and that I have a couple of days off from the girls. I should be able to do nothing but rest and plenty of fluids which should keep it at bay.

I went shopping yesterday and I will admit that I did have a moment of pause when I saw how full the parking lot was. A full lot equals a store full of people and people tend to share their germs. Alas, I shopped anyways. I should have washed my hands more often but instead I had used gloves when packing up the meat for the freezer.

The lesson here is to wash your hands often.

Dementia 13 for a cold dark evening

2011-11-11T18:41:00.000-08:00

I'm pleased with having a productive day. Day off from the grandkids was a day off indeed. No dishes washed today, thank you very much. I will have to make up for that tomorrow, but for today I'm not even going to look at them.

I filled the freezer with meat, edited two chapters of my novel Redemption, added the movie vault channel to the Roku, and will now settle down with my knitting while watching Dementia 13.

This was the film I watched in 1967 that forever has kept me from swimming at night. Louise went for a swim. She found something in the depth of the pond that sent her screaming to the top. A man was waiting at the top with an ax. I had always thought that he cut her head off. That's how I remembered it, but he did not.

I never liked to swim at night after that. Decades have passed since I first saw the film, but I still always suspect that an unwanted stranger will appear at the side of the pool. Sometimes, I'll force my self to swim especially on those very hot nights, but it is only for a few minutes and I regret that I can't let my self relax and enjoy the cool water and the bright moon.

Dementia 13 is one of my favorite black and white horror films. I love the castle and the grounds that was filmed. I kept waiting for the Frankenstein monster to appear as the castle stone walls reminds me of the laboratory.

I'm safe for now. No swimming at night required since summer has passed for the year. I'll just cozy up in my chair with my knitting and enjoy the horror flicks of my youth.

Super Wash = Super Fail

2011-11-10T08:02:00.000-08:00

I completed the Scott Pilgrim hat using the Super Wash wool. It was nice to knit with. A bit stretchier and a bit softer. I'm glad I washed it before putting it on Etsy for sale. I washed it with a load of laundry and it was a lint magnet. Even more lint attached to it after putting it in the dryer. Two more washes and dried in the dryer resulted in a hat that was a lot tighter than before I washed it. The hat didn't felt, but the ridges were much less noticeable.

I'm glad that I tried the different yarn since I hadn't used it before, but I will stick to the regular 100% wool with hand washing and air drying.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-09T09:55:00.001-08:00

Why Hand-Made is more expensive

2011-11-08T09:18:00.000-08:00

Lex is a fantastic clothes designer. I wish I had her figure, but it's a good thing that I don't or I would be broke from buying her custom designs all the time. Last August, she wrote a fantastic article about pricing her items.

“$70 for a t-shirt?!”

“I love your website, but everything on it is overpriced!”

“Your stuff is too expensive.”

“Are you rich or something?”

“I could make that for $5.

I know I've thought this with certain items. Not that I ever got around to making those items. I've also second guessed my self when potential clients say that my hats are to expensive. I very much appreciated Lex's article. (You can read the full article here)

What I've learned from the article is that my price is fair. It wasn't made in a sweat shop. The yarn if thick, the hat full that wind will not cut into. It will keep you warm.

When someone tells me the hat is to expensive for them, I don't take it personal. I'm sorry that I didn't make the sale, but I hear what they are saying. They simply can't afford it. Just like I can afford to buy Prada boots. More than a few people can, I'm not one of them. More than a few people can afford to buy my hats at the price I charge. Those who can't won't be my customers. It's business, not personal.

Pattern for the Helmet Liner / wooly pulley /ski mask

2011-11-07T20:20:00.000-08:00

"HELMETLINER" KNITTING INSTRUCTIONS

(Known as a "Wooly Pulleys" or "Ski Masks" by our Armed Forces)

Materials:

Any soft, worsted (100 grams/3.5 ounces) wool yarn that will knit to gauge, such as Cascade 220 or equivalent. The label should state that for size 7 needle, 5 stitches per 1 inch, and for size 8 needle, 4-1/2 stitches per 1 inch. Approx. 175 yds.

Only 100% soft wool yarn will be accepted, because our Armed Forces are not allowed to wear synthetic fibers outside the wire. Wool is inherently non-flammable and won’t melt against the skin in the event of an accident and is warm even when wet.

Do NOT use "super wash" wool, as the characteristics that make it non-flammable are removed when it is treated to be washable.

Color: ONLY black or coyote brown

Size 8 – 16” circular needle, or size to get gauge

Size 8 - Double point needles

Size 6 - 16” circular needles for the ribbings

1 stitch marker.

Gauge: 4.5 stitches per inch in stockinette stitch

Be sure to check your gauge to ensure the helmetliner will fit properly when worn.

Neck Ribbing: With smaller circular needle, cast on 84 stitches loosely. Place marker. Join in round and knit in 2x2 (meaning knit 2, purl 2) ribbing for 6 inches.

Cap: With larger circular needle, knit 32 stitches off smaller needle onto the larger size 8 circular needle. Leave smaller circular needle in the rest of the stitches. The smaller circular needle will just act as a stitch holder while you complete the cap portion with the size 8 circular and double-point needles.

Cast on 59 additional stitches, place marker to mark beginning of round, join in round, knit even for 4”. ("Knit even" means to knit every stitch).

Be sure to check your gauge. Even being off 1/2 stitch per inch will make the helmetliner useless, as it will not fit properly.

1^st decrease row: *Knit 11, Knit 2 together,* repeat to end of round.

Next row: Knit even.

2^nd decrease row: *K10, K2 together,* repeat to end.

Next row: knit even, meaning to knit every stitch. Change to double point (DP) needles when necessary.

Continue decreases as established until knit 2, knit 2 together. After this, decrease every row until a total of 7 stitches remain on the double point needles. Cut yarn 8-9” long, feed through remaining stitches and weave in.

Face Ribbing: With size 6 circular needle that is still in neck portion, pick up the 59 stitches that you cast on when starting the cap portion. Join in circle and do Knit 2, Purl 2 ribbing for 1 inch. On last row of ribbing, decrease about 4 stitches by purl 2 together in 4 locations around the face. You may need to increase or decrease the number of times you decrease (purl 2 together) so that it isn't too tight or too loose in the face ribbing. This keeps the wind from whipping underneath it.

Cast off. Weave in ends.

(The original pattern was designed by Bonnie Long, Knit Wits, 3419 Chatham Rd. Springfield, IL 62704. 217-698-6100. Revised 1-19-05. All rights reserved. Copies may be made only for the purpose of donating helmets to our active service personnel. In any case design attribution must remain. Operation Helmetliner, Inc. has made changes to the original pattern for clarity and to incorporate suggestions from our Armed Forces).

Donating to our troops: (See the post for complete update information

Helmetliners": To answer your question about the current shipping address, it is "Sewing for Troops", P.O. Box 104, Dahlgren, IL 62828-0104. HOWEVER, we will accept helmetliners and scarves for our troops on a couple of conditions: (Sorry.) Because of our lack of funds, we need to receive donations (Checks may be made payable to "Sewing for Troops"). to cover costs and please ask your readers to make sure they follow the pattern exactly with a couple of updates. 1) ONLY black, dark brown or dark beige colors are allowed. 2) No "super wash" wool, as it is flammable. The treatment to make wool washable makes it flammable. We ship to our troops who are in remote, austere conditions, i.e. firebases, where explosions are a possibility. We don't want to increase their risk of injuries by using synthetics or sueprwash wool. Please attach the yarn label to EACH piece.

Update on the Wooly Pulleys/ski mask

2011-11-07T20:14:00.000-08:00

I wanted to learn to knit so that I could volunteer my knitting projects. My first donations went to our troops. I recently sent an email to verify that the information I had was current. Linda was kind enough to respond.
As of November 7th, this is the latest:

1. Update on "Operation Helmetliner": We transferred Operation Helmetliner to Citizen S.A.M. in Peoria, IL a few years ago, which apparently isn't doing much with that program. Citizen S.A.M. put out a notice stating that our military would no longer accept the hand-knitted helmetliners (wooly pulley/ski mask). This is totally untrue. It has and continues to be up to the individual commanders as to whether or not they allow non-military issued gear to be worn with uniforms. It was and still is our practice to check with each commander prior to shipping. This prevents our investment of time and money from going to waste for those who aren't allowed to wear the helmetliners and helps to ensure that those commanders who do allow them receive enough for their groups so no one is left out.

2. "Sewing for Troops": This is the name of the corporation for our small "factory" of volunteers. Unfortunately, "Sewing for Troops" hasn't had the years of media coverage that "Operation Helmetliner" has had. The downside is we haven't received the donations to buy the materials for these volunteers to make coverlets/neck coolers/neck gators and to pay the shipping to the war zones for their products. They sew red/white/blue coverlets for our Wounded Heroes who arrive at their first medical treatment facility from the battlefield. In addition, they sew cotton neck coolers for hot weather and wool neck gators for cold weather for our troops on missions outside the wire.

3. "Helmetliners": To answer your question about the current shipping address, it is "Sewing for Troops", P.O. Box 104, Dahlgren, IL 62828-0104. HOWEVER, we will accept helmetliners and scarves for our troops on a couple of conditions: (Sorry.) Because of our lack of funds, we need to receive donations (Checks may be made payable to "Sewing for Troops"). to cover costs and please ask your readers to make sure they follow the pattern exactly with a couple of updates. 1) ONLY black, dark brown or dark beige colors are allowed. 2) No "super wash" wool, as it is flammable. The treatment to make wool washable makes it flammable. We ship to our troops who are in remote, austere conditions, i.e. firebases, where explosions are a possibility. We don't want to increase their risk of injuries by using synthetics or sueprwash wool. Please attach the yarn label to EACH piece.

We have contacts in Afghanistan who will accept every helmetliner/scarf that is made and get it to our ground troops who are in the worst of the worst this winter. One of our contacts is in the Marine Corps, who pushes the helmetliners to our Marines/Sailors who are sleeping in the dirt. Another contact flies the planes that do the low-cost, low-altitude drops to our troops in remote, austere firebases in Afghanistan.

Thanks, Kathy, for checking with us for updates and thanks to your readers for their long-standing support of our military in the war zones. Please let me know if you or your readers have any additional questions.

You can contact Linda at helmetliner@gmail.com if you have further questions.

On this rainy day

2011-11-06T19:38:00.000-08:00

I was so excited to see an email this morning from someone interested in one of my Scott Pilgrim hats. Very awesome considering I don't have it listed. He needed to know the price. I got busy knitting away to complete the current hat.

I did complete it and I have the same hat knitted in super wash wool also finished. Tomorrow, I will test both hats and see how they hold up to the washing & drying.

The bad news is that he wasn't willing to pay the amount I requested, so boo hoo. No sale there. The other bad news of the day is that one of the members from my writer's group dropped out. No reason given, just outta here. The problem with that is all the second guessing as to why. Did our group not give him what he needed? Did he just get bored with everything? Was it him or was it us? Never did appreciate the second guessing many of us have in our heads.

The great news of the day is that I spent it warm and cozy knitting away. My daughter baked chocolate chip cookies which were nom nom nom and I found five of the ten hidden treasures from Hungry Shark part 1. I still have no idea if there is a way to win this game without the shark dying. I can't find anywhere the answer to that question. Anyone out there know?

opting out - maybe to rise again later

2011-11-05T13:34:00.000-07:00

And on the fourth day of NANOWRIMO 2011, I wrote six hundred words. Only needed one thousand to complete the quota but it just wasn't in me. I don't want to sit in front of the keyboard and dragging out the words for hours after a long day. I don't want to be distracted by the story when my focus needs to be on the kids. I don't want to put the current stories on the back burner. I want to knit. I need to focus on things on hand. The world will not end if this story is not written.

I achieved the challenge of writing 50,000 words in thirty days two years in a row. I know I can do it. I won't be doing it this year. Perhaps in a few more years, I will attempt it again. For now, I don't want unfinished novels on my table before I begin again. I'm opting out.

I say I'm opting out, but I wonder if that's true. I think it is, but I've been watching The Walking Dead. Thus the term "opting out" came to my mind and since I'm not putting a bullet in my head or an arrow through my eye, there may be a small chance that I might resurrect the story. I may pick it back up. Of course, I realize that it would probably be more tripe as nothing would have changed. I still have my day filled with running after a three year old waiting on her hand and foot only to put her down for a nap and spend that time entertaining her six month old sister. I would have no more intelligence to give to the story than one of the mindless zombies.

No, I would be staring at the keyboard for hours at a time searching for that fresh piece of meat. Hours that could be better spent with a ball of yarn that will actually end up paying me cash or better yet reading the latest release of the third book from The Strain series. What is the lesson here? The more you read, the better you will write. Something for me to ponder. If only I didn't get sucked into the storyline and could pay attention to the prose. Maybe the zombies won't eat that part of my brain.

To good to be true or just naturally suspicious?

2011-11-04T13:39:00.000-07:00

My daughter recently started doing business with a food service company that provided a freezer and eight months of food for a family of four. The monthly cost is $400. Sounds good (?) except I can't get the facts. I just want simple facts. I don't want a commercial freezer that is huge. I don't even want a small freezer for that matter and there are only two of us. What I really want are the facts. Not that many, just a couple. The first one being how many cubic feet do I need for the minimal order. No answer. Just redirection to the big freezer capacity. The cost is another. Just a vague reference to the cost being cheaper than what Im paying now.

I'm sad to say that I am old enough and experienced enough to know that there are lots of companies out there who are happy to take my money. Lots of promises, but is it something I really need. The promises of the food being organic and healthier, the fat removed, the fast freeze - all this spin sounds wonderful, but since they can't answer the simple question of how many cubic feet do I need for the minimal order, I think I'm gonna pass.

I would love to try their meat, but I'm not real hip on having someone estimate what food I will need or want. What if we go on a binge of eating hot dogs for a week? What if I eat them all up? Does that mean I have to wait til the next delivery before I get another hot dog? Of course not, I just go to the store, but then that defeats the purpose of home delivery, doesn't it?

They say that if I have meat that I don't use or want, they will take it back? Really? I don't buy that perk for even a moment.

It sounds like a nice idea but I think I'll stick to my weekly shopping for the time being.

Meanwhile, the family is settled into the front room. Hubby has munched on his lunch and the grand daughter has taken what was his. Time to put her down for a nap which I don't think will happen as the baby should be waking soon.

Nanowrimo update: I stayed up til midnight to reach the word quota. I'm still one day behind. I'm still fighting the feeling of wanting to quit cause I would rather knit and I have two books that I really really want to read. And what I really want is to take a nap on this glorious overcast day, but that ain't gonna happen any time soon either.

Oh Lordy, this ended up as a whiney entry. Ack! Not what I intended at all. Today just offered me more material than I could use so that it overflowed to the whiney department which poisoned everything else. Think I'll take this rainy day and make the most of it by knitting, knitting, and perhaps knitting some more.

Nanowrimo Day 3 - Failure?

2011-11-03T15:56:00.000-07:00

Oh my gosh. I have to say that I accepted the failure emotion that hit on day three quite well. That's one of the perks of experience. I haven't found the rhythm yet. I'm still searching for the perfect time to write. I'm still fighting to not look at the wall that says I have no idea what happens once my characters enter the house. I'm still working on the priorities of what must be done, what is important, what can be left behind.

Even though the critic in the back of my mind is screaming "Failure! It AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN! Loser," it doesn't matter. It isn't the first time I've heard it and I know it won't be the last.

There is that other voice that I keep pushing away. This one says, "tsk tsp,". This voice tells me that the kids will be to distracting. I'll be to tired to write. I believe this one more than I care to admit. I hope it's wrong. I will try to prove it wrong even if it is one sentence at a time.

That's all I can ask.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-02T13:40:00.001-07:00

nanowrimo 1,667 words per day

2011-11-01T20:24:00.000-07:00

I'm saying that I did my 1,667 words and that gave me a moment to visit youtube. Yeah, it is pretty much like that. (lol)

31 Days of Vampire Flicks Completed and a Big Thank You

2011-11-01T17:25:00.000-07:00

A big thank you to all of you who stuck with me during my thirty one days of vampire flick reviews. I hang my head in shame a bit because most of the blogs were tripe. I should have done much better. The fact is I was pretty much lazy about it. I blame my grandkids. They are, in fact, also vampires and suck all the energy right out of me. Not to mention demanding every moment of my time so that I can wait on them hand and foot. It is the law that I must stand by to meet and anticipate their every little need. Yes, I do make the rules in this house and for some reason, maybe cause I'm the grandparent, that's the way things are run around here.

My head does pop up high at the simple fact that I did actually complete the self imposed challenge of blogging every day for the vampire flicks. I am horrible about not following through with things that I start. I get bored, I stop caring. Not a good thing. Not that it matters to anyone else. These little challenges are far from life changing for anyone which is part of the reason why I stop following through. Not important to anyone and doesn't really change anything. Except it does to me. It's a simple matter of self growth. Sooner or later, it won't hurt to learn self discipline.

Now the next challenge for the month of November is NANOWRIMO. That little challenge of writing fifty thousand words in thirty days. Along with the challenge of blogging every day of the month. I wonder when the men in the white coats with the long sleeve jackets will come and see me.

I've completed the NANOWRIMO two years in a row. It is a crazy ride. It is a love-hate relationship. It is a self depreciating-self enamored enlightenment. I am a loser. I am a winner. I am brilliant. I am the most ignorant person on this planet. NANOWRIMO is S&M at its best. Let the pamper and flogging begin.

On the sane side of my world, my wonderful husband, Steve, has almost completed his building of my spinning wheel. I may have it tomorrow and I can't wait to start spinning. I hope I have more than a clue as to what I'm doing.

I finished knitting the Scott Pilgrim hat using the super wash wool and now I'm knitting another one in the regular wool so I can do a complete comparison. I liked knitting with the super wash wool. It's softer and feels stretchier to knit with. I did not care for the way the hat felt when I was wearing it. It's much tighter than the regular wool. I liked the fit with the regular wool because a) it did fit snug and b) it was a comfortable fit. It doesn't squeeze your head. I don't know if that's just me or a person's personal preference.

On the technical side of my world, I bough a Roku. A Roku is this little device thing that you can hook up to your tv (old ones too - the ones that take the yellow, red, and white cord cable thing) and it hooks up to your wireless router streaming your Netflix and Amazon videos direct to your TV. There are other channels you can get.

One person hated it, another loved it. I figured if I didn't like it, if it was difficult to hook up, or if it wasn't what it said it was, I could send it back and get my money back. I got it on Saturday and so far, I love it. The kicker is that the three year old already knows how to work the remote on it. I didn't even show her how. It really is that easy.

Time to excuse my self now.
Challenge 1: Knit 10 rows
Challenge 2: completed. I have blogged today.
Challenge 3: Write 1,667 words in a new novel - (I got 225 so far)

My biggest challenge was choosing which story to write. I started one ten years ago that is a children's story that I really do want to complete or write the ghost story I thought of a few months back.
I chose to go with the ghost story although I have no clue as to where this story goes. It simply isn't time for my children's story yet and the reality is that it isn't a 50,000 word novel. Maybe 30,000. Perhaps that will be my challenge for January. Perhaps I shouldn't procrastinate and it can be my challenge for December.
That's a decision to be made later.

Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)

2011-10-31T12:00:00.000-07:00

Francis Ford Coppola has a winner with his Brahm Stoker's Dracula. His cast selection and direction of top stars was perfect in every way. I have heard reviews that Keanu Reeves performance was rigid and uninspiring. I disagree. He was playing a British character after all. The story was rich with plot and substance. Details were paid to the distance traveled and time involved. The romance was just that. A love story for all time.

Gary Oldman has always impressed me with his versatility and this film did not disappoint. The transformations from old Dracula to young Dracula to horrible monster was impressive. Huge props go to the make up people on this film.

Anthony Hopkins plays Van Helsing as he has never been played before. It was refreshing. Of course, I think I've loved Anthony Hopkins ever since Silence of the Lambs.

Let us not forget the lovely brides of Dracula.

All of the actors did a wonderful job perfuming their parts. The storyline, the direction, the scenery, the script, everything moved this film a long. The two hours you spend watching this film are well spent indeed.

Lost Boys

2011-10-30T12:39:00.000-07:00

Lost Boys is definitly an 80's movie, but worth the watch all the same. A single mom and her two sons moves back home to live with her father. His choice of interior design is enough by it's self to give someone nightmares. Meanwhile, the kids head to the carnival beach town to mingle with the locals. The older boy is attracted to a young woman who hangs with the wrong crowd and ditches his younger brother which is a good thing in the long run.

Great quirky characters with Cory Haim as the younger brother and Corey Feldman as the vampire hunter wanna be who is ready to stake anyone. This is one of the first films I had seen Keither Sutherland in and I was not disappointed. I had always been a fan of his father, Donald Sutherland and I was glad to see the talent passed down. He made a wicked vampire and I wouldn't mind seeing either one of them in another vamp film.

I have to mention Edward Herman, Diane Wiest and most of all Barnard Hughes. They brought the real fun and scary to the film. Honorable mention of the beautiful dogs that were part of this film.

I like the twist of the film at the end and as is the norm, it wasn't really the end. There is a sequel and seeing what happens to the Frog brothers makes it worth watching, but for now, here's Lost Boys trailer.

Horror of Dracula (1958)

2011-10-29T11:41:00.000-07:00

Horror of Dracula is one of the first films that introduced me to the wonderful world of vampires. I remember sitting on the edge of my seat watching this as a little kid. My faith intensified with the knowledge that the crucifix would protect me from the evils that lurked in the night. Yet I was sympathetic to the poor lass who had the cross laid across her face which left her scarred. I cringed at the thought of it burning into her skin and it also created a little fear that it would also burn me should I turn evil. Enough about me.

The films is similar to that of Brahm Stroker with the characters mixed up, additions and deletions, and a mishmash of the story in general. There will be no confusion if you don't pay attention to the names and take it at face value. Christopher Lee plays Dracula and Peter Cushing is his nemesis Van Helsing. Harker is working with Van Helsing and has been hired by Dracula as a librarian. Harker already knows that Dracula is a vampire and his real intention for being there is to kill Dracula. He fails, but Van Helsing is there to put an end to Harker before he harms anyone.

Dracula, meanwhile, has headed off to visit Harker's fiancee Lucy who is living with Harker's brother and wife.

It is up to Van Helsing to convince them that they are in danger and Dracula must be destroyed, but first he must be found. Van Helsing knows he is near because of the death of Lucy. They don't know just how close Dracula really is.

In the end, Dracula must die as he always must die. Unlike today's films, Dracula doesn't immediately turn to ash or smoke. It is a long, torturous death, thanks to a little sunlight. Should I have warned ahead of time that this was a spoiler? Oops. To late now, but I don't think you were very surprised to hear that Dracula dies at the end.

Interview with a Vampire

2011-10-28T11:12:00.000-07:00

Back in 1976, I tried to read Ann Rice's novel "Interview With A Vampire". It was one of the few books I did not finish reading. I was so bored. Then in 1994, the film was released starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. I didn't hold much hope for the film. Both men were big stars but I had never cared a whole lot for their previous films with the exception of Brad Pitt's roll in Thelma and Louise. It was a small part but yes haw! I had a pessimistic view of the casting of Tom Cruise for being a blonde is not his normal hair color and it was Tom Cruise. Even Ann Rice had her doubts.

I loved the movie. Not so much for Cruise and Pitt. They did their job well enough. What I loved about this film was the scenery and the props. I loved Kristen Dunst in her roll as Claudia. I thought her acting was supreme considering how young she was at the time. She brought out the frustrations of being trapped in the body of a child, never being able to grow and mature physically although her mind was constantly growing. Brad Pitt's character's anguish did appear whining. Really wouldn't miss him if he died, but Claudia's anguish came across and although she was a killer, I couldn't help but hope for her to find her happiness.

I did try again to read the book twenty years later. The book is always better than the film but I think this book makes the exception. Although I was older, more mature, and knew what the story was about, I still could not get into this book.

Nothing to do with vampires here, but I must say that my favorite books by Anne Rice are the Mayfair Witches trilogy. She writes about New Orleans in a way that makes you feel as if you have stepped into the pages and are actually there. I highly recommend those books.

30 Days of Night: Dark Days

2011-10-27T15:40:00.000-07:00

I had no idea that they had made a sequel to 30 Days of Night. It was a surprise considering most everyone died and the town burnt to the ground, but the story didn't end. Stella wanted the people to know the truth and so she started touring the states and sharing her story about what happened to the people of Barlow.

The vampires are a little different in this film as they are cleaner and a bit more into conversation as they speak English. She enjoys her blood bath.

The key difference in the film is that Kiele Sanchez has replaced Melissa George in the part of Stella which I found to be an improvement.

Stella is touring the states to share the true story of what happened to the town of Barlow which attracts more vampires to her as well as a team of vampire hunters.

As far as sequels go, this wasn't bad at all. I could have done without the gratuitous sex scene. Stella discovers a secret about the vampires, but she obviously should have watched Pet Cemetery.

30 Days of Night

2011-10-26T14:26:00.000-07:00

The first time I saw 30 Days of Night, I was bored beyond boredom. I realized later that my boredom was a self defense mechanism. Simply put, this movie actually terrified me. Most victims of vampires are given a respite from the attacks when daylight hits. Not in the small isolated town of Barlow up next to the Artic circle where the sun doesn't rise for thirty days. The deluge of vampires does not end and it's not just one or two vamps that have come to set siege on the town. They brought the whole clan.

What I didn't like (again, probably self defense cause the idea terrifies me) is that the vampires don't speak English (the horror of it!) I don't like the teeth. These vamps have a full mouth vice like razor sharp teeth. All the teeth are saw points. I really don't like the sloppy dirtiness of these vampires, but it is what it is and although the film is slow and tedious in parts, it is necessary for the true isolation to take effect. The hiding, the running, the finding survivors, seeing the slaughter and having to kill your own pulls at your soul.

I didn't like the film the first time I watched it. Yet, I still had to see it again. And again. And yet, again. Maybe it has to do with looking at a car wreck with the bloody injured and dead. You know you shouldn't look and yet you do all the same.

30 Days of Night is not on my top ten favorites, but it is in my library and will be watched again and again.

John Carpenter Vampires (1998)

2011-10-25T09:02:00.000-07:00

What more can I say than John Carpenter and James Wood? A great match between actor and director. A bit of profanity as well as nudity, but the naked gals are only during one party with the exception of Sheryl Lee and her scene was done tastefully.

Vampires is the story of a team of vampire hunters who find that they are the ones being hunted a little to late. The survivors are out for the head vampire with the help of one of the vampire's victims who now has a link to the vampire. The head vampire is now hunting a unique cross that will give him the ability to survive in the sunlight. Everyone on both teams run into a few obstacles.

This film is one of my top five favorites. Part of the reason is simply watching James Wood get his butt kicked more than once. I actually liked all of the characters in the film including Daniel Baldwin.

Van Helsing

2011-10-24T09:28:00.000-07:00

I loved Van Helsing from the start to the finish. It begins in black and white with Frankenstein bringing the monster to life and Dracula right there to take possession. Change to color and we meet Van Helsing who with his own burdens heads off to Transylvania to find and destroy Dracula. It was a fun watch with lots of action and never a dull moment. Dracula's brides were beautiful. The fantasy of their flowing gowns merging into their skin when they sprouted the demon wings and form was original and fun to watch.

The plot has a substantial story with humor, wit, and one liners. It also has a few sad moments. Enjoy.

From Dusk to Dawn

2011-10-23T19:29:00.000-07:00

From Dusk to Dawn, a vampire flick with George Clooney and Quentin Taratino, horrible to watch when it's been edited for television, but a fun violent flick on the DVD with lots of naked boobs for the breast folks out there.

An escaped convict and his brother have robbed a bank and are high tailing it to Mexico where they are to meet up with folks for a safe haven. They hijack a family in their RV and head to the titty bar which just happens to be the home of a gazillion vampires who feast on bikers and truckers.

Cheech Marin played multiple parts and was his normal comedic self. There is a lot of humor in this film, including that from Tom Savini, mixed in with the violence.

This may have been the first movie I saw Danny Trejo in. He was perfect for the part and makes a wicked vampire.

Salma Hayek's appearance is short lived but memorable to say the very least.

The movie isn't a scary one. You pretty much figure most everyone's gonna die. It's pretty much a monster fest with fighting, fighting, and then some more fighting. Each of the vamps look different. You gotta love the stripper vamp who in vampire form has her breasts at her belly button.

If you like a lot of nudity, profanity, and vampires on fire, you are sure to love From Dusk to Dawn. My favorite part was the end. Not because it was the end of the film, but because how they ended the film. No spoilers tonight kiddies.

Enjoy.

Let the Right One in (2008)

2011-10-22T20:34:00.000-07:00

Let the Right One In is much more than a vampire story. Our main character is Oskar, a young twelve year old of a single mom is bullied by his classmates. A new girl, Eli, moves next door to his apartment complex. The first thing she tells him is that they can't be friends, but they do become friends. Oskar teaches Eli morse code so they can communicate through the walls. Eli teaches him to be strong and to hit back at the bullies.

Oskar evenutally comes to the understanding that Eli is a vampire. She becomes his strongest ali and he beomes hers. Cats are not her Eli's friend.

This film is Swedish with subtitles. It runs slow but is not boring. I enjoyed this film. It includes all the elements of growing up. I can't help but wonder where Oskar and Eli might be today. (Yes, I know that they are fictional)

From Dusk to Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter

2011-10-21T11:52:00.000-07:00

I feel as if I'm doing this bass ackward since I didn't watch the first or the second of the Dusk to Dawn trilogy. I've seen them both before but I really wanted to watch the third one for the review. This one is my favorite of the three films. It's the prequel set a hundred years ago in Mexico. The hangman is about ready to hang an outlaw, Johnny Madrid. Johnny escapes with the help of a stranger and grabs the hangman's daughter, Esmeralda, on his way out of town. The hangman does his job to hunt them both down.

Unlike the previous films, this one has more of a substantial plot to it. Esmeralda is innocent and beautiful andalthough Johnny is a cod blooded killer, he has feelings for her. He takes her to a brothel/hotel for food and shelter. Her abusive father is not far behind. Johnny does what he can to protect her, but he soon finds out that the hangman is the least of his problems.

I loved the tango dance scene between Orlando Jones and Rebecca Gayhart. The change in the color of the filming topped it off. I only wish the scene had been longer. They make a fine addition to the film as did Sonia Braga, the brothel's inn keeper.

Loved how the story developed . A definite vampire favorite for me and a plus to those who like westerns.

Now, it's off to prepare a wedding gift and then go to the wedding at Edward's Mansion. It's the first time I've been to a wedding there and I'm curious to see what all the hub bub is about the location. I'm sure it will be lovely and I'm thrilled that they are happily in-love. I hope the stress level is at an all time low and that they enjoy their wedding day as much as they should.

Fright Night 2 (1988)

2011-10-20T15:07:00.000-07:00

I suppose I should have blogged about Fright Night before hitting Fright Night 2 but I've already seen Fright Night in the last 120 days and wasn't in the mood to see it again quite yet.

Fright Night 2 picks up three years after Charlie has killed the next door vampire Jerry. He's been spending this time in therapy and has come to the realization that it was all a group self hypnosis dream. Jerry was nothing more than a serial rapist killer.

Charlie goes to see his fellow vampire killer, Peter Vincent (Roddy McDowall and while there sees what he thinks is a new vampire clan moving in across the street.

The new gang is more creepy than scary. To be honest, I never did figure out if Jon Gries character is a vampire or a werewolf. He keeps being told to bite the girl but he's to busy having fun. I think he's just looking for a good scratching behind the ears.

Meanwhile, Charlie's friend Richie is going to party with the vamps. Charlie is in total stalker and peeping Tom while he stands his girlfriend up at the concert. He drags Vincent to the party and they discover his friend is alive and well. These vamps are simply performing artists. All is well until he sees the news and that his friend Richie has been discovered dead.

Richie was played by Merritt Butrick. It has been so long since I had seen this actor. I couldn't remember from where. He had played the part David Marcus in the Star Trek movies. I haven't seen him in so long because he passed away in 1989. So sad. RIP

No vamp movie is complete without the all powerful familar. Why are so many of these creatures bug eaters? Granted, Renfield started off eating bugs but it was always his goal to become something much more and eventually he would eat bigger things, but these big galoots are quite happy to eat just bugs and then when they die, all those bugs just creep on out. A bit on the gorey grossy side.

It's not as good as the first Fright Night, but the story flows and it's not a complete waste of time. I'm just glad that they didn't make a part three.

Salem's Lot (1979)

2011-10-19T08:25:00.000-07:00

I was eighteen years old when I read Stephen King's novel Salem's Lot. I had purchased it from a minuscule description in the book of the club deal. I was greatly disappointed when I discovered that this was not a book about witches. It was about vampires, stupid vampires. I was a bit over Dracula. The movies were ok, but I didn't want to read about it. I had bought the book, might as well read it.

Let's just say that the crucifixes came out and I really really didn't want to go out at night after reading the book. It petrified me.

The book was made into a made for television movie in 1979. This was the second vampire film to have ever seriously completely scare the dickens out of me. The crucifixes came out, the Bible came out, and I begged not to be left at home alone the 2nd night that part 2 was being shown.

Did I over react a little bit? Oh hell yeah! It was exquisite. Does the film still hold true to form? Do I still bring out the crucifixes? A little bit. I didn't actually put on the necklace, but I gave it a moment of pause to think about it.

The story of Salem's Lot is about a man who returns to a small town he lived in for a short while as a child. It isn't so much his story as it is about the town and the Marsten House. Bad things had happened at that house on more than one occasion. Someone new has moved into the house and bad things are starting to happen again.

The cast was well chosen. David Soul plays the part of Ben Mears, the writer. His low key style fit the character. We didn't have great beauties, just "real everyday" folks with the exception of James Mason. Oh my gosh! He was wonderful as Straker. He was so different from everyone else wearing his suit and his manner of speaking and when he revealed his brute strength, I just had to pause to scream!

What makes the film scary is the realness of it all. The normal everyday life, the normal reactions people would have. The denial, the feeling that something is wrong, how the tiredness and weakness could be due to the stress of loss and lack of sleep due to bad dreams (Lord knows I've been there).

What really really makes it scary, is the sounds. It doesn't have the kind of sounds of jumping out you in the dark when it's been quiet and then the volume cranks up a hundred decimals. No. It's the creaking sounds. The creaking of the lift. The creaking of the rocking chair. The creaking of the stairs and the scariest is the sound of the fingernails tapping and scratching on the glass windows.

The eyes of the vampire were creepy as heck. They were almost silver like.

I wanted to hide behind the couch when Mike came back as a vampire. He had been such a sweet man, but that sweetness was long gone.

Who knew sitting in a rocking chair could be so scary?

The only complaint I had about this film was the vampire Barlow. It really kicked me out of the flow of the story because in the book, Barlow is a handsome man, like all vampires. He's seductive and powerful. Barlow in the film is a freak of nature. Nothing seductive about him. I understand that it was King who had wanted Barlow to look as Nosferatu. It didn't work for me.

My advice to you, if you want to get the full scary effects of this film, is to sit down in a dark quiet room and let your self go with mood. Don't let the floating bodies and the fog make you think "Wow! How cheesey can it get?" Instead, imagine What if it really did happen like that?

You can have an awesome time.

You can find the whole film on YouTube (in parts 1-19)

Brides of Dracula (1960)

2011-10-18T08:23:00.000-07:00

Brides of Dracula was and is a refreshing story. I should mention that, at the very beginning narration, it tells us that Dracula is dead. However, his children are not.

The story is of a young school teacher, Marianne, on her way to a school to teach when her stage coach abandons her in a small village. The Countess Meinster invites her to stay at the castle until morning. Once there, she finds the castle has only one staff and is horrified to find a man chained to the floor locked in his room.

The countess tells her that this man is her son and he is insane, but he doesn't appear to be insane and so Marianne gets the key to release him. He is not so pleased to see his mother and she is terrified to see him released. The Baron follows Marianne to the school and the havoc begins.

Its a wonderful cast. Peter Cushing as Van Helsing, always retains his composure and has no fear of the vampire. He has his trusty cross.

Renfield has nothing on Greta played by Freda Jackson when it comes to being crazy. Unlike Renfeild, Greta is not locked up. She looks after the vampire and those new vampires he creates protecting and coaxing them from the grave.

Enjoy the clip from the start of the film.

I am out of time and need to run now, but hot diggity. I just found Salem's Lot is on You Tube. I can't believe it isn't available on DVD. Can you guess what's up next?

Dracula 2000

2011-10-17T20:32:00.000-07:00

I was excited and waited with anticipation for Dracula 2000 to be released. This would be so much better than the films done in the past. I just knew it would be good and it did not disappoint. Thrilled to see Christopher Plummer cast as Van Helsing. Loved everyone in the cast.

I found the plot to be original and exciting with a new twist that hadn't been done before. The film had humor mixed in with the seduction and violence along with a substantial storyline.

The Van Helsing in this film is not a descendant of the original Van Helsing as he told people. No! He IS Van Helsing. He was finally able to catch Dracula but could find no way to kill him. He trapped Dracula and has been injecting his self with Dracula's blood in order to keep alive and keep Dracula captive.
Then the bad guys come and thinking they are stealing treasure, they actually stole Dracula and Dracula escapes making his way to New Orleans to find Mary. Mary is Van Helsing's daughter and Dracula is connected to her because of the blood infusions Van Helsing had taken.

I did enjoy this video clip which is a vignette of the film. Sound track is not from the film, but its still good.

Danny Masterson had me in hysterics. This film was the first that I had seen of DM after knowing him from that 70s show. His timing was right on. I laughed, I screamed, I laughed again. I suppose it is wrong to be sorry when the vamp dies, but he did say he was sorry.

Omar Epps was great as well. He made a wonderful vamp. Evil, but still wonderful. A lot of humor for his part too which brings me to the weapons that were used. Those were fantastic weapons. Makes me wish I was an antiques dealer.

I love the scene where Jonny Lee Miller's charcater is fighting with Omar and he pulls out a cross. Omar says, "Sorry, I'm an Athiest." Jonny pushes a button and a silver blade pops out. "God Loves you anyway," he quips as he plunges the blade into Omar's eye.

The special features on the DVD has clips of Gerard Butler speaking in his normal voice which is hysterical because we had no idea his Scottish accent was so thick.

The real kicker for us years later was to discover that Dracula was played by Gerard Butler, that same guy who was in 300. No way! But YES! We had no clue and it was fun to watch all over again.

Monster Squad

2011-10-16T19:52:00.000-07:00

Now I know I said I was going to do a real vampire story today, but I ran out of time and had to make do with blogging about Monster Squad. There is no vampire eating anyone, although there are the vampire chicks in the flowing gowns walking down main street.

This film was released in 1987 and is similar to the Goonies style. A group of young kids who form a club based on monster trivia find their selves pulled into a plot where there really are monsters.

Dracula is in town looking for the crystal that will allow him and the other monsters to rule the world. It's up to the monster squad to stop him.

It's an unbelievable upbeat style and pace where death is brushed over quickly as though it never happens.

As for the vampire, who had a deceiving nice smile, he was a bit shocking. I did not expect him to pick up the five year old little girl and call her a bitch. I admit that he's one of the few vampires that actually scared me. He has anger issues.

I loved Frankenstein and I felt so bad when he left. Bittersweet.

Did not like the whiny cry baby nagging bitchy mom. Did not like her a lot.

I think being a cop is a hard job. I don't sympathize with a woman who is bitching because her husband is at work hunting down killers and can't make it to the marriage counselor's. Maybe she could go by her self and realize that screaming at your husband all night isn't really conducive to a rich marriage. Yeah, I really disliked this character. I would have happily fed her to the vampire.

The killing bothered me a bit, like a lot, in this film because it was a kid's film. The vampire and werewolf were pretty brutal. People did not get up and walk away and the kids saw this. Yet they didn't acknowledge it one bit. Nope, not even a little. It was like they had just finished a good romp in the park.

It was scary weired. A little freaky.

Yet, it is a well loved cult classic that the family loves as do it's many fans.

Rise of the Lycans

2011-10-15T20:11:00.000-07:00

I have got to say that I'm not a fan of prequels and that is what Rise of the Lycans is. The first film was clear and definite about the history between Lucian and Victor. Lucian (the Lycan) had fallen in-love with Victor's (vampire) daughter Selene. Victor had his daughter put to death when he found out she was pregnant with Lucian's child.

Rise of the Lycans covers the history we already know. The vampires (who don't eat anyone) has enslaved the Lycans and there is the subsequent rebellion.

I didn't really care for the story or felt it was necessary especially since we know that all involved are now dead.

Not one of my favorite films, but if you are an Underworld fan, it is still a must see mainly cause you just feel obligated to see the history.

I'll review a real vampire movie tomorrow. I promise.

Underworld Evolution

2011-10-14T20:38:00.000-07:00

Does it really count if I watch the film without really watching it? I'm bored with the vampire movies. Ack! I think a lot of it has to do that I've seen this film a hundred times if not more. Not one of my favorites. There are parts that I like as when Selene fights the Lycans and vamps at the old monastery. I enjoyed the first scene that tells us the history of Marcus and his brother William. I did not expect Craven's outcome. That was awesome in its own little way. I actually liked the character of Craven and was sorry his part was limited. The special effects in the last fight scene were good.

If you've never seen the film before, it is a sequel to Underworld. The plot is the vampires have centuries old war with the Lycans (werewolves who change when they want and are not dependent on a full moon)
The death eaters hunt the Lycans, experiment and kill them. The Lycans are trying to find a descendent of the father of Marcus and William. They are experimenting to create a hybird. Betrayal is to be had by all.

Underworld Evolution is the continuing story of Selene and Michael, the hybird. He is part vampire and part Lycan. A unique creature. Marcus is hunting Selene for he believes that she holds the secret as to where his brother is.

A lot of action, shooting and fighting, fleeing. more of the same, more of the same. For those looking for the gratuitous sex scene, there are a couple of those too. Way to long in my opinion.

The other thing I thought of at the beginning scene is that the Lycans remind me of the Orgs from Lord of the Rings, that and bears. Yeah, they have the wolf muzzle but they still remind me of bears. That's ok. I like bears.

Underworld

2011-10-13T16:53:00.000-07:00

Gorgeous day outside, much to nice of a day to spend indoors watching the boob tube, but I made a commitment. Let's see it through.

We start with the first Underworld. Good film. One of the films I can put on and watch time and time again even if it does have flaws. At least, I consider them flaws. For example, vampires don't breathe and yet Michael performs CPR on Selena and she says he saved her life. Maybe I'm wrong and they do breathe and live.

UnderWorld introduces me to the Lycans that the vampires are hunting and want to destroy. The term Lycans is used instead of werewolf. I am ashamed of my self for thinking this was something new. If I had paid attention to the original Wolfman, I would have been familiar with the term Lycanthropy, but I didn't pay attention. Lycanthropy was a whole new world to me... sort of.

Underworld offers a lot of action, innovative weapons, and a good plot. All the elements you want in a good story without it being over the top. Plenty of action, a little bit of love, surprising twists of who is a good guy and who isn't. It's actually hard to decide what team to root for.

Now to catch a few rays before the gals come over for our monthly knit and bitch. Should be a small turn out tonight. I got my yarn order from JoAnn's yesterday. Glad to know I have plenty on hand so I can start knitting another Scott Pilgrim hat if I don't have enough of the superwash wool to complete the hat I'm working on now. It's good to know that the delivery time from Knit Picks was only five days. I'm going to wait until I have both hats completed before I put them up on Etsy. I want to have a good comparison between the superwash wool and the regular wool.

I'm never going to see the sun if I continue babbling here. Have a great evening and don't let the vampires bite.

Thirst

2011-10-12T11:23:00.001-07:00

Seven days in a week and only six films in two trilogies. It's a good time to throw something different in the mix. Thirst is perfect for being different. This is a Korean film that gives the vampire infection a different twist. The dialog is in Korean, but the subtitles are clear and not a problem or distraction.

A priest wants to be able to save people from dying. He goes to a compound where all the volunteers die after being infected with a virus. First blisters appear on the skin. Then the organs are destroyed by the virus and the patient dies.

The priest is no different and he dies. He doesn't stay dead. No need to dig out of the grade. He comes back to life just a few minutes after being declared dead. He is a miracle.

He is surprised that people now believe he can cure them with his prayers. His best friend from childhood is cured of cancer.

He can't be in the sunlight without it burning him and he can hear EVERYTHING.

The blisters come back and he realizes that the drinking of blood keeps his skin clear and disease free.

There is much more to the story and I highly recommend it. The only negative I have to say about it is that the sex scenes are to long, to explicit (tame for some) and far to many (not enough for some). Special effects are minimal.

This is not a film that would give nightmares.

Available on Netflix streaming video. Give it a watch & let me know what you think.

Blade Trinity

2011-10-11T18:04:00.000-07:00

Quick entry for today's film, the final of the Blade Trilogy, as I'm off to meet with fellow writers on our novels. Blade Trinity was similar to the others in that there is a lot of action and a little sadness. It took me a couple of times watching this film to be able to really appreciate it. That had to do with Mr. Ryan Reynolds who is not at all bad to look at, but his sense of humor and wit doesn't really fit well with Blade's silent demure.

I did enjoy Jessica Beil's performance or I should say I enjoyed her weapons which were fantastic as was the whole team.

This film focuses on the original vampire who at times is also very hot and nice to look at and at other times, way scary looking.

Last, but not least, the final picture of Ryan in all his hotness. His character always seems to find him in a jam.

One last thing: The deleted alternate ending was pure fun.

Now to throw on my shoes and run out the door. Last thought, I dreamed (not of vampires. Thank you, there is a God) I dreamed I was offered a writing position. Evidently I was to write 4 stories plus the winning final story. All I needed was a tackle box.

Not real sure what that means, but it was enough to give me an idea to get started on participating in the next NANOWRIMO next month. Darn thing is addicting. I completed it two years in a row. I can't not do it now. I need that third winning certificate. Woo hoo!

Blade II

2011-10-10T20:09:00.000-07:00

Continuing the Blade Trilogy, today's film was Blade II . Wow! It was awesome! A whole new outlook on vampires or should I say vampire's evolving. It starts off with Jared wanting to donate his blood for cash. Jared is very special indeed and he just happens to hate vampires.

Meanwhile Blade has spent the last several years looking for Whistler and he finds him. He gives him the cure and the team is back together with the addition of Skid. I mean Scud or as Whistler says, "Whatever."

As I said, Jared is a special kind of vampire. Silver and garlic don't bother him in the least and when he bites someone, they turn almost immediately. They turn into this :

That was awesome! I do believe I screamed the first time I saw this.

Ron Perlman, one of my favorite actors, is one of the Blood Pack that now has to play on the same team with Blade in order to hunt Jared and his reapers down.

Blade finds his self a little bit in love, but being Blade, you know it doesn't end happily ever after.

Blade II is one of my favorites. A lot of action, good acting, good character development and strong plot. I got a little antsy when the reapers were coming, but the Blade movies just aren't scary. Jared and the Reapers were shocking and I'd be scared as heck if they were chasing me, but they aren't, so I'm not.

Highly recommended.

Blade and super wash wool

2011-10-09T19:56:00.000-07:00

The good news is that this is day 9 of Vampire Fest and I've stuck with it. The bad news is that I'm starting to get a little on the edgy side and now there are vamps in my dreams.

And no, I really didn't expect the dreams. It's not like these are scary freak me out vampire movies. I've been staying busy with other things. Yet, the dreams are still there. Only 22 more days.

To keep the dreams at bay, this week I'm going to watch the Blade trilogy and Underworld trilogy.

First movie on the list is Blade with Wesley Snipes. Good action flick starts off right away with lots of vampires, blood, and vampires turning to ash. Good acting, good casting, good plot. I'm not going to go into the plot of it as this is a fairly recent enough film and you can read the reviews elsewhere. It's enough to say that I like this film.

Based on a comic book that I had never read, I didn't have any preconceived ideas of what it should have or could have been. The storyline was self explanatory and there weren't any gaps or holes that I could find.

The only complaint I had was at the end when the special effects all of a sudden turned into animation. The version shown in theaters (and I think it's also in the special features ) had the blood god look like a cartoon. I'm so glad they took it out of the DVD release.

Onto more fun stuff: I was so happy to get the yarn I ordered from Knit Picks. I thought it would take a couple of weeks but I got the order within 6 days. I had ordered the Super Wash Merino Wool for the Scott Pilgrim Hats as that is the wool suggested in the original pattern. I just couldn't find it before.

I've been using Patton's 100% wool and it's been just fine. The super wash yarn seems to have more elastic to it and it can be washed in the machine and tumbled dry.

I'm a bit concerned that I didn't get enough yarn to complete the hat and I'll have to raise the price. I already have to raise it from $50 to $55. I hope I don't need more yarn.

I'm still waiting for the order I placed with Joanns. I ordered enough to knit six hats. That should keep me busy for awhile.

I'm getting better at spinning with the drop spindle. I couldn't wait any longer and I took a small piece of the Super Wash Merino wool roving that I have and attempted to spin it. It was heaven. It is soft and such a beautiful pure white. I didn't do to bad with it.

Hubby is in the process of building me a spinning wheel. All day I listed to the machines as he made all the spindles. He is already thinking of buildling me an Irish spinning wheel so I can travel with it. I wonder if this is what he has in mind?

I can't wait to try it out.

Grave of the Vampire 1974

2011-10-08T20:01:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the seventh film in a long line of vampire flicks this month. Today belongs to the 1974 Grave of the vampire. Warning: Total Plot and ending given.

This film reminds me a bit of a Shakespearean theme. Father vs Son/ Love triangle type of thing. It's completely forgettable as I know I've seen it twice before and never remembered anything about it. The actress who played Anne played her as an unfeeling cerebral type of person just as her friend describes her. Fine, but I don't think finding my room-mate with her throat cut in the shower said much for her. Sure she screamed and screamed and was carried away boo hooing, but the next scene she's perfectly calm sunning her self on the patio preparing to go to a seance as if nothing at all had happened. I do mean nothing. You would never have known that this woman they all knew had been brutally murdered in her dorm room. I have totally gotten ahead of my self.

Let's start at the beginning of the movie.

I'll say this much. It doesn't get much more romantic than proposing marriage at a cemetery. I wanted to say "awe" but what with the squeaky coffin lid opening and the old wrinkly zombie faced vampire awakening, I was left on the edge of my seat. Mainly because I was wondering who opened the crypt's lid?

Total creep out when we discover our vamp is a peeping Tom. No privacy for the couple making out in the car. The vamp breaks the guys back over a tomb stone before eating him while Miss Victim just sits there on the ground screaming. After getting his fill from the our gentleman lover, he drags Miss Victim to an open grave and rapes her. No munching that I'm aware of.

Miss Victim finds out she's pregnant and is ecstatic as she believes this is her deceased lover's child but the doctor recommends an abortion as the fetus is dead. She refuses and carries the child to term without the assistance of a doctor. She gives birth to a living boy and discovers by accident that the child will only eat blood.

The boy, James, grows to a man and his mom dies before her time since she gave much of her blood to him. Her son now is on the hunt for his father that he wants to kill. He starts at the colleges.

Meanwhile, we know that his father is a rapist who had died three years before the boy was conceived. He had been accidentally electrocuted. It also seems that he forgot what his teeth are for. He usually used tools to kill his victims, a garden hoe, a broken glass model, and I won't tell you what he did to the cop in the beginning of the movie.

I was pleasantly surprised that the son of the vampire, now a man, was played by William Smith. I adored that actor from the first time I saw him in Red Dawn.

So it turns out James and Dad have the same taste is women. Dad likes Anne because she reminds him of his wife Sara. Anne likes James because he's hot or maybe that's just me. Dad teaches at the college and James is attending.

The roomie of Anne is Anita and she has the hots for Dad. She's done her research and knows he's a vampire. She wants him to turn her and she wants to be his wife. Of course she does. He promptly cuts her throat and throws her in the shower for Anne to find when she returns home.

It's only logical that the next scene is at Dad's house to hold a seance. Surprise for Dad when it isn't his wife Sara who takes possession of Anne's body, but Anita who promises to stay. Anne is able to fight for her control of her body and is taken upstairs to sleep. Whereas, Dad kills everyone else that was in the house with the exception of James who survives the attack. Dad is thrilled to hear that James is his son but not so much when James kills him. Unfortunately for James, Dad curses him before he dies.

Now only James and Anne are in the house. James has now developed his full set of fangs and is heading up the stairs. Does he or doesn't he attack her? We'll never know for this is the end of the film.

This is also the end of the entry.

House of Frankenstein 1997

2011-10-07T19:10:00.000-07:00

Some people spring clean. I autumn clean and during my cleaning spree, I found an old VHS tape where I had recorded the TV two part mini series House of Frankenstein. Consider your self lucky if you also recorded this great show because it has not made it to DVD status which is a shame as I consider it to be a cult classic.

The first showing was in 1997 so the cell phones and landline phones are huge, but other than that, this could be in modern times. The filming and direction is good as is the cast. The vampire Crispian Grimes is very rich and runs a gothic nightclub called the House of Frankenstein. He is searching the Arctic for the real Frankenstein and he finds him. He wants to place him on display frozen as he was found. The scientist has other ideas. Frankenstein is defrosted and comes back to life and escapes finding a friend along the way.

The storyline also focuses on a young woman who gets scratched by Crispian’s werewolf. Crispian is aware of her and wants her for his own, but his main goal is to get possession of the Frankenstein monster again.

Great plot and story development. Special effects were quite natural. Love the werewolf eyes. Absolutely love the Frankenstein monster and Crispian’s vampire appearance would terrify anyone who faced him for real.

Love this movie. I give it an A-. Did I mention I love this one?

Life Blood (Murder World) 2009

2011-10-06T18:45:00.000-07:00

I knew when I started this self imposed challenge that there would be some real poke your eyes out with a hot poker horrible just kill me now bad flicks. Yesterday was one of them. I actually do like my life and want to continue it. I turned that one off and watched something else.

I was afraid today would be the same when I began Life Blood (Murder World). I thought I was watching a porno flick. Two lesbians at a 1968 New Year Eve’s party going hot and heavy - along with the naked boobs dancing and more naked boobs out at the pool.

Our two gals end up in the desert where God makes an appearance - God being a woman and one who loves her creations I might add.

God has, in fact, created vampires to do her work. She had promised to never end the world’s population with a flood again. Instead, she has vampires to cleanse the evil people of the world. She puts the lovely women to sleep for forty years.

I turned it off when we hit the sheriffs office: An old chauvinistic man, a dwarf and a woman make up the only staff. He’s watching tv of two women in bikinis chasing cocks (actual rooster) and talking about pussy (the cat).

Yet, there was something about the movie that pulled me back. I wanted to see who was going to get eaten. I turn It back on. I did like the two actresses. Sophie Monk can give Charlize Theron a run for her money any day of the week. Anya Lahiri is gorgeous.

The conflict in this film is that Sophie’s character Brooke doesn’t quite get the “kill evil people only” rule. As far as she’s concerned, a meal is a meal. She’s resentful that she’s lost the last 40 years of her life. It’s Anya’s character Rhea’s job to keep her in line.

Not an easy job for since Rhea hasn’t eaten.

Brooke on the other hand would like to eat everybody, but has anger issues. After the first two meals, she doesn’t bite anyone except for the market boy and she bit him on the leg trying to keep him from running away.

She kills everyone, but not to eat. She breaks a woman’s neck, uses a box cutter to slit a man’s throat, and a gun to kill the cops. Did she forget she’s a vampire?

All in all, not a horrid movie. I’d give it a B-. I’d like to say that I would watch it again, but it’s to soon to know. I’m pretty sure it’s a forgettable film.

Although I would love to see Sophie and Anya in another vampire flick. They are both good actresses and Anya has fabulous vampire eyes.

Dracual III Legacy

2011-10-05T19:12:00.001-07:00

Dracula III Legacy is the movie of the day. It was a cool very wet overcast day which brought 2.5 vampire flicks and one lousy entry as I've been chasing kids and dogs all day and cooking oven fried chicken and popcorn chicken which was delish & I'm exhausted but still want to get a daily entry submitted.

Dracula III picks up from the end of Dracula II. Luke has teamed up with the priest and they are searching Romania for Elizabeth. We've got the army, the rebels, the vampires, and let un not forget the freaky circus to deal with before they find Elizabeth. Lots and lots of vampires, dead vampires - no ash.

The one complaint I have on this film is that they insist on using the sound track from the first film. It does not fit with the storyline or location. It is annoying.

Not a horrible film & I don't have any regrets buying it as it completes the trilogy.

With that, I'll close this entry now so I can find a cozy blanket and watch the film again while snoozing or maybe I'll find some more of that chicken. Yum.

- DG

The Thirst: Blood Wars

2011-10-04T19:55:00.000-07:00

In the mood today today to watch something I hadn't seen before and I chose Blood Wars. A low budget B movie. It almost feels as if this movie was put together by a bunch of college students. The opening credits started with a hard rock and video game quality scenery.

The special effects were minimal with the vampires moving at super speed. Frat boy is bit. Frat boy is instantly vampire. No dying. (Don't turn it off. Don't turn it off)

Time for the rednecks to get killed. I almost turned it off at this point because the music in the back ground was a happy fast paced hick yee haw style. It was disgusting. (Unbelievably difficult to not turn it off at this point - read on.)

The war is between the warlocks (called Sentries) and the vampires. One Sentry is a particular asshole who uses his power to abuse and terrorize the other students on the college campus. After attempting to rape a woman, her boyfriend intervenes and kills the Sentry. A vampire promptly bites him for his effort, but Will refuses to accept this gift and will not drink. He changes from a weakling to a super ripped hunk. Not bad to look at I must say.

Now comes King Vampire dude, who is none other than, CANDYMAN! I mean Julien played by Tony Todd. Hot diggity! It's Candyman. I'm so excited. (So glad I didn't turn it off) He has the best scariest voice and demeanor. I just love him. Oh my,could that costume get any cheaper looking? I think I've got something similar to the 4 yr olds costume chest. It's ok, I can look past that.

So Julien has a hot vampire witch (I think she's a witch) who Claudius (2nd in command) absolutely hates. He's pissed because Will killed the Sentry and that means Will is inline to take over for Julian. Meanwhile, the Sentries are on the hunt because one is the father of the douche that Will killed.

It got a little better. It did have a good storyline. The acting and directing had much to be desired.
Watching the scenes with the Sentries was similar to watching a Shakespearean play on stage. There was no magic other than an occasional force field and the vampire witch disappearing.

Toward the end is a long boring fight and I found the end to be a little sad. You kinda go awe or at least I did. I suppose some people would applaud simply because it was over.

On the positive side, it did have a couple of good twists and I did like the storyline. The acting was amateurish or maybe it was the directing for Tony Todd is not a novice at acting. You wouldn't know it the way he was flipping his cape around.

Day three= Migrane + Dracula II Ascension

2011-10-03T20:02:00.000-07:00

I understand a big storm is coming. It didn't arrive today but it did bring a bit of humidity. Just enough to give a splitting headache that makes you think someone has an ax to your forehead and just keeps on pushing. I'm not letting it get in the way but this will be a short blog.

Today's film choice was Dracula II Ascension. It is supposed to be the sequel to Dracula 2000. I say "supposed" because we as the audience have such short term memory that we don't remember Mary Van Helsing took possession of Dracula's body to Carfax so she could keep watch of it. Warning: There are spoilers and stuff that happens in the film. Just a little.

Watching Dracula II, you need to forget that specific ending. Instead, Dracula's burned body is sent to the morgue where it is stolen. This is a stand alone film for the most part.

I love the beginning. A beautiful fearful woman in a long flowing gown running away in the abandoned streets from the menacing man in black. It immediately holds your attention. Jason Scott Lee is the man in black and he gave the film a lot of its substance.

Craig Sheffer plays a professor of medicine. He looks similar to David Boreanaz and his acting is very much like that of Angelus (Angel's bad side ) He was a bit creepy.

This vampire spends most of his time tied up, but don't let that lull you into boredom. He does massive damage with one hand freed. It was AWESOME!

There are more than a few scenes that made me take a deep breath and sit back in my seat. Daniela Nane was a beautiful victim and could you blame her for being upset that she ate her cat?

I know I need to work on my reviews so that I don't give away stuff like that. Don't worry. They don't show her eating the cat.

The vampire isn't pretty to look at. Part of it is because he started off being burnt to a crisp. The only blood he got was when they soaked him in a tub of it. Enough to bring him back alive with his skin intact, but he looks more like a zombie, a blond zombie.

This film brings out the OCD behaviours of a vampire; the need to count spilled rice or beans or whatever and the need to untie knots. None of this was a problem for the vampire in Dracula 2000 or any other vampire that I know of. Another spoiler, it isn't a problem for this vampire either.

I do like this film. I'm pretty sure I'm going to buy it. It's fast becoming one of my classic favorites.

I'm off now to finish putting the chicken I cooked in the crock pot away and then to nurse this headache. Early to bed and all that. Sorry if the writing is crappy. I don't normally do reviews especially on the fly like this. First draft and all, then send. I wonder if I'll be doing better by the end of the month.

P.S. OMG, I just found out that there is a Dracula III. I have so got to check that out. Has anyone else seen this?

Queen of the Damn

2011-10-02T20:38:00.000-07:00

Queen of the Damned is based on the third novel of Anne rice featuring the vampire Lestat who decides to be a rock star. It is his music that awakens the mother of all vampires.

I highly recommend the book which tells the story of the very first vampire and how she became. It wasn't hard to get sucked in to the story which is divided between the presence and the past.

This film is more artistic featuring the music and bizarre film direction with a minimal touch of the storyline. It was not possible to squeeze the history, the lives, or the power that this great story has to tell. That was a shame.

It was well cast and I'm sorry that we won't see anymore of Aaliyah as she died before the film was released. All the actors performed their parts well. There just wasn't enough.

The first time I saw the Shining with Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall in 1980 was at a drive-in theater. I was walking to the snack bar and it appeared that there were three people in each car. Two in the front and one person in the back leaning forward explaining what was going on.

It was based on the film, but was not able to really get into what was going on. There was so much more. Queen of the Damned was like that. There was so much more to the story.

I did like the sound track. The best part of the film is that these vampires don't sparkle.

Nosferatu The Beginning

2011-10-01T19:02:00.000-07:00

As I start off on my October vampire festival, I had to decide which of the many vampire movies should I start with. It wasn't a hard choice. Where to start but at the beginning? The first vampire movie that I am aware of is Nosferatu (1929)

This is the first time I have ever seen this film and I must admit that it still took me three attempts to get through the whole film.

I was unaware of how similar this story is to Brahm's Stoker Dracula. I shouldn't have been. Dracula was published in 1897, but since the vampire is Count Orlok and looks nothing like Dracula, I just presumed it was a different storyline.

The scariest character of this film is Knock. This man totally put me on edge. He was crazy from the very start. Those large wiggly caterpillars above his eyes were enough to give nightmares for weeks.

I was a bit concerned about the main character Hutter as well. This guy had his own creepiness before he got involved with the count. Much to happy for one thing and if I didn't know better, I would swear he was more than a little drunk.

I had to check the cast to verify that his wife Ellen Hutter was actually a woman. She was played by Greta Schroder. I would not have wanted to be strangled by that woman for she had the hands of a large man.

The captain of the ship had me on my toes. I kept waiting for him to turn into a werewolf. He had the sideburns for a werewolf. He looked like a werewolf. Turns out he wasn't.

The town's lynch mob was a bit scary. I don't understand how Knock was ripped to shreds after what he had done.

This being a silent movie, I will say I was pleasantly surprised at the instruments used in the symphony. I thought it would be just a piano. It was much more.

Orlok, the vampire, actually seemed the sanest of them all. I wasn't afraid of him so much I think because of my age and everything that has come since his time. I think I would have been terrified if I had seen it when it was first showed.

My only complaint of the film was the text that came up on the screens. It was a fancy script that took a moment to decipher. Sometimes it stayed on the screen long enough, sometimes longer than needed, but most of the time, it did not stay long enough to read. I'm a fast reader and I still missed a lot.

This could be a super fun movie with margaritas and friends to help ad lib those lines you missed.

October is for Vampires Challenge

2011-09-29T18:18:00.000-07:00

Every year I try to do something I've never done before. This year will be the October Vampire fest. Each day of October, I will watch a vampire film and blog a review of it.

Some will be my favorite old classics, some will be good, and some will be god awful horrid. I will have to make a list of my favorites in order to balance it out the bad ones.

Short blog today as I can't say what happen to my dog when he went for a walk today because daughter requested that I don't cause it will upset someone. Yeah, a little over reactive in my opinion but I'll respect her wishes. Suffice it to say, it was a bit exciting and everyone came home safe with little damage. A trip to the vet was not required.

I'm off to finish watching Halloween Resurection. I have to say that this is my favorite of the Halloween series. Did they mean for it to be a comedy or is it just wrong of me to bust out laughing when they ask, "Where is he?" and of course he's right behind them and promptly stabs the guy?

I'm also knitting and I hope to have the hat finished tonight and possibly shipped by Saturday. Woo hoo!

Ace bandage is my friend

2011-09-28T10:31:00.001-07:00

Got an additional ten rows knitted wearing the ace bandage. I'm saying it must have worked for I have no tingling in my arm this morning.

The baby is asleep and I've sorted through the kids toys and now I'm fighting for my iPad with the three yr old. I'm also fighting for my tea, my glasses, my knitting, my sewing, my hair, and my space on the couch.

Yes, I know I'm the boss. I know I can take her down. I know I can tell her no.

Where is the fun in that?

- DG

Crippling my arm

2011-09-27T18:29:00.001-07:00

Just a quick entry to say addiction is a bad bad thing.

Knitting is my addiction. It is not an obsession like some people have.

I have knitted my quota of twenty rows today. I should knit no more.

But I'm so close to being finished.

Never mind that to knit more will criple my arm sending electrical currents up my tendons. I must knit.

I might have been able to keep away but my son in-law came home earlier than I expected. I had unexpected free time. I washed the dishes, ate dinner, and still the knitting called to me.

I have wrapped my arm with an ace bandage. I hope it works. I have a couple of those arm brace things but I have no idea where they might be.

The call to yarn must be answered. I'm watching The Horrors of Dracula with Christopher Lee with my arm wrapped like a mummy and knitting away.

Hope I can knit again tomorrow.

Thirty Years of Marriage

2011-09-26T19:57:00.001-07:00

Thirty years ago, I was shaking so hard that I'm surprised I was able to buckle my shoe. I was rattled enough that I was sure I wouldn't be able to find my way to the house for the wedding. I couldn't believe I was really going to do this. I knew in my heart that he had to be crazy. Why on Earth would he want to marry me?

He had set his mind on it though. He snapped me up as quick as he could. I didn't stand a chance.

He's put up with me for all this time. Another piece of evidence that he is insane.

If I'm lucky they won't ever put him on medication. I would hate for him to regain his sanity. I've gotten quite use to him by now.

All said in jest (mostly) There is something about the two of us together. We complete each other. The same in many ways. The opposite in many ways as well.

Now it's the golden years. The family in place and healthy enough to enjoy life. The dust has settled. The quirks worked out.

Thirty years later, I'm thinking this just might last.

- DG

Sometimes they come back

2011-09-25T10:42:00.000-07:00

When I was a young naive woman, I thought that when your children turned eighteen years old, you were finished being a parent. At the age of eighteen, they were now adults and would fly far far far from the nest. I left home at seventeen and never looked back. EVER. Granted I did need a little help now and then, but I turned to my aunt for that. Never my own mother.

As I write this, my twenty six year old daughter is running up and down the hallway in her bathrobe with the dog. She left the nest only to return a few years later when she lost her job.

The older daughter came back to the nest only to leave her offspring as she flew off to the world. I once told her that if she was old enough to have children, she no longer needed her mother. I didn't have to be here.

I was wrong. I never knew that I would always be a mom. I didn't realize that my leaving home and not looking back did not stop my mom from being a mom. She didn't stop missing me, she didn't stop worrying - not that I gave her much to worry about.

Life turned out a bit different than I expected. Not only did I not gain the freedom from family when my children turned eighteen, my family actually increased. We loved our children, nurtured them, gave them a stable home and sanctuary. It worked for them and they stay close to the nest.

It feels kind of nice to know they still want to be around us. They still like having me as a support system when and where they need me.

With that said, starting next week, I take on the job of being grandparent full time to a three year old and a six month old. Part of me misses having the freedom to go and do what I want when I want how I want.

A bigger part of me can't wait to do it all over again.

Learning to spin yarn with a drop spindle

2011-09-20T22:24:00.000-07:00

As grumpy as I may look, I really did have a good time learning to use a drop spindle. A big thank you to Valerie for giving me the spindle and the roving (wool). Although I've been wanting to do this for years, I could never make up my mind as to what to get. An actual spinning wheel is a huge investment. Not something I would want to do considering I had no idea what I was doing. Even the drop spindles come with a wide variety of choices. I still had no clue what to do with it once I would get one. It wasn't going to happen in the near future. And yet...

It did happen, thanks to Valerie. We went to a gathering of spinners at the Hands On Knitting store. The ladies showed us how to get started and Viola! I loved it.

I've been spinning each day and each day I improve just a little bit more. I had read somewhere that you should learn to spin with a spindle first. I agree with that statement. Spinning with a drop spindle gives you time to get the feel of the wool and the drawing ( pulling it out). The drop spindle is a simple tool so you are not overwhelmed with all the mechanics and size of the spinning wheel.

With that said, I'm ready to buy a spinning wheel. I have no idea where I'll put it, but I want one. (g) I found one on Craig's list that may or may not have been sold yet. I sent her a text and I'll do some more shopping around.

Buying a spinning wheel was one of the big purchases I had planned for this year. I didn't put it on the top of the list because it was more of a goal than a reality. Looks like it might be a reality after all.

Yarn is my friend

2011-09-20T17:25:00.001-07:00

Just finished knitting another Scott Pilgrim hat. Loved it. It was the best one yet quality wise. I also got the knack of picking up a dropped stitch with a crochet hook. That's not hard at all. I guess my mind needed to relax enough and slow down enough to let it sink it. I know how I am though and made sure I favored the youtube video that showed me how. (Video at the end of the post.)

So the hat is on its merry way to Canada. I wasn't going to list again until I finished a few other things first. That idea lasted five minutes. Of course I listed it again. I rolled up my yarn into the two balls and will start a new hat later tonight after I do some reading of The Hangman's daughter.

But first, it's time to spin some more wool. I try to practice a little each day and each day I get a little better. I actually tried knitting today with some of the yarn that I had already spun. My needles were to small for the thickness of the yarn but it was knittable. I am very pleased with it.

My mother in law is so cute. She can't understand why I would want to spin the wool when I can just go and buy it. It's a common question for me. People always are curious as to why I want to do something. The answer is simple. Because I haven't done it before and because I can. Plus with spinning, I end up with yarn that will be more fabulous than what you can buy at the fabric store.

It's a win win situation.

- DG

Never to old.

2011-09-14T09:53:00.000-07:00

It just goes to prove that you are never to old to learn something new and that love can stay forever.
They bring a big smile to my face. The simple things in life are what make life worth living

Johnny Depp and Product Placement

2011-09-12T14:18:00.000-07:00

I have got to say that I do like Johnny Depp. I like how he appears to be a different person in every film he does. I will watch a film, no matter how bad it is, simply because he's in it (and there have been a few whoppers.) If he is on the screen, that part of the film will be good.

With that said, I really don't care what brand underwear he covers his butt with. I don't care what boots he wears, what type of wine he drinks or anything else about his private life. I won't be sending him gifts of any kind or running after him for his autograph or a glance in the general direction I am in. Bless him and his family, but he's paid to do a job and I paid my ticket to see his film and our business together is done.

This goes for any other actor whose work I enjoy. I'm not going to run off and buy a revealing, green print Jean Fares Couture gown from the "Breeze Me" collection simply because I saw Rebecca Romijn wear it at an awards show.

Product placement has pretty much been a waste of time and money on me. Until now.

Johnny Depp in the film The Tourist. As I've said in my previous post, I have been craving a cigarette. Pull out my hair, bang my head against the wall, crazy. Yet, I told my self no cigarettes. There I see Angelina Jolie walking towards Johnny Depp who is smoking a cigarette on the train. My first thought is to say it breaks my heart to see him smoke so much. I worry about his health. Such a shame. My 2nd thought was, " He can do that? Smoke on a train?" Really?"

Yes, he can because he's smoking an electronic cigarette.

Now that got my attention. I remembered that I had heard of the electronic cigarettes some time ago, but they weren't available in the United States at the time. I wondered if they were now.

Have I mentioned how much I love YouTube? Yes, indeedy. That's where I headed and found this wonderful video review from LaceyBell. I was lucky in finding her video first as she explained the difference between a couple of the electronic cigarettes that are available.

I very much agreed with her about the enjoyable aspects of smoking. For me, it's that moment that you can take to pause - think things through before you speak, the physical act of inhaling and exhaling and darn it. I do like making smoke rings. (lol)

I don't like ashes or the after smell. I don't like the smoke in my hair or on my clothes. The good news is that the electronic cigarettes don't have ashes or after smoke or staining. No burnt holes in clothes or furniture. Now that's nice.

Social Calendar is now Full

2011-09-10T22:44:00.000-07:00

It wasn't anything new, what they did or how they acted. Yet it still stung a bit. Can I be any more vague? I doubt it, but I've already vented about it and have no desire to rehash because I've already moved on.

That is one thing about me that has never changed in my whole life. One rejection does not lead me to despair for more than a couple of days. It is what it is and yeah it stings but there is still so much more out there. I have no problem going out and getting it.

So I whined a bit, then I turned my back on them (them being the company I use to work for) I un-liked the face book page, I un-friended associates who worked there and now I won't look back ever ever again. I'll just feel sorry for those who have no choice, (but not too sorry or I might tic them off)

I went to meet-up.com and joined some new groups. One is a women's network group, one is plien drawing, and last but not least I rejoined the book club. It is the best book club I've ever been a part of. A great selection of books and wonderful discussions afterwards. Now add to that my knitting group, the spinning group I just joined (Yeah, I'm finally learning to spend wool) and the writer's group.

Yeah, my social calendar is, wow, really full.

What? What happen that I was upset with "them"? Who would that be? I have no idea. I have already forgotten all about them.

IMovie - I have no idea

2011-09-09T21:43:00.000-07:00

My problem is I have no idea how use the Imovie application. I want to do a specific blog and I want the video that I haven't made yet to be in it. No video, no blog entry. Auggg!

Still no cigarette in my hand. So strange that I'm even dreaming about smoking now. Odd indeed.

I finished knitting my Scott Pilgrim hat today. I'll get that in the mail maybe tomorrow off to Virginia.

I checked out the new yarn stores. Beautiful vibrant colors that cost a pretty penny.

Tomorrow should be loads of fun. I'm meeting with Valarie and we are going to a meeting on spinning. She got me a doodle thing and I just might learn how to spin which is awesome cause I want to buy the wool from Etsy. Don't know what I'll do with it, Just know I want it. :-)

Time for Stitch N Bitch

2011-09-08T17:24:00.001-07:00

One and a half hours from now, you can find my house full of women. We hug our greetings and fill our plates. Tonight it's taco night with all the trimmings: sour cream, tomatoes, green onions. For desert, there are the fresh triple chocolate cookies. Summer isn't over yet. Along with the chips and salsa, I've got purple grapes and watermelon slices.

Make up is on and I've got my Snookie hairstyle rockin. My daughter says' I've got a fifties theme style. I don't think its to freaky. Not to sure. I cut my bangs maybe to short and they are currently brushed to the side. A light blue striped sleeveless shirt with dark blue cargo pants tops it all over. As for shoes, who the heck needs shoes? This is my house. It's called natural barefoot.

My mood is much calmer today. I see that the item I have on order has actually shipped today. ETA is 5 days. I'm sure that's working days so I'm thinking next Friday. I am so used to Amazon Prime delivery. I like placing an order and getting it two days later. Two weeks is like forever, but realistically I guess it will have to do.

I need to give the dog a bath tomorrow. I will never ever ever own a cocker spaniel EVER again. The two I have were rescued from the street. They had been used as breeder dogs. I hate those people who ever used them like that. These two dogs do not have good genetics. They have HORRIBLE genetics. Currently poor Daisy is going through another skin issue where the skin are her throat is raw. It is just one thing after another with these dogs. They are not so bad that they should be euthanized but I don't have the $500 a month to spend taking them to the vet each month which is what they really need.

Honestly, I would spend the money. I have spent the money but it never ends. Whatever the ailment is, it comes back within a few months. Augg!

But enough complaining. Time to meet and greet, forget the stress of the world, and have some good laughs.

red flags

2011-09-07T17:29:00.000-07:00

Guess my day started at two this morning. I was having a sex dream which isn't that often and it had its woohoo part but when I woke up, I couldn't remember what led to it which led to more of a violation feeling. Very odd that I would respond that way but falling back asleep was not an option.

Keeping a secret isn't helping matters. I've started a new business venture that I'm not ready to share. I'm also a very impatient person and quite frankly the new venture and I are not stepping off at a good start. We started with a dead link. Not happy about that, but I'm not stupid. I contacted customer support and they got right on it. I'm really looking forward to getting the product and the email says they've shipped it. The problem is that link tells me the shipper hasn't the record which means it has not been shipped.

Let's take the third step, shall we. If you click on the affiliate link, why doesn't my id show in the url?

How I ignore the red flags! But I believe in the product. I want to believe in the product. I would really like to get the product.

The good news is that I'm only putting in time. I didn't put out any cash. That's a good thing. I'm sure these are just glitches (and rabbits fly to Venus and make babies)

Fudge cake. Fudge Cake. I'll bet it's to good to be true.

Nice Tomato

2011-07-11T12:41:00.000-07:00

Homegrown beats store bought any day of the week. What a difference. The tomato on the left is homegrown and, as you can see, it's all meat. The tomato on the right is store bought. $2.49 per pound and is mostly seed. Lots of flavor for the homegrown.

This is only one plant and it is a winner. We haven't been so lucky the last few years. Previous years only provided tiny tomatoes and only a few. This plant is giving an abundance with plenty to share.