Spinning

I have added yet another craft to the long list of crafts I already do. Recently I went to the Withers Ranch where I was fortunate enough to have the very wonderful Kathy Withers teach me to spin. Others have tried over the years but Kathy is a darn good teacher.  This is a picture of the first skein that I spun all by myself.  I know its not much but at least it does look like yarn.

Below is a picture of my progression from right to left of the yarn I have spun over the last 2 weeks. I was even brave enough to ply yarn today but had a slight mishap and the yarn broke in the middle, thus I have 2 skeins instead of 1 skein. Yes I did manage to ply about 370 inches of yarn. I think it 370 sound more impressive the the amount would in yards so I am sticking to it.

This is an unsolicited plug for Kathy's ranch and her classes. Kathy has not asked me to do this and I am not getting paid for this. But I feel there is some stuff that you need to know about Kathy and her ranch.

First of all her company is called Unique Designs by Kathy.  Her e-mail is jmarckathy@aol.com her web site link is http://www.uniquedesignsbykathy.com/6928.html ; there you will find her class schedule,a few of Kathy's one of a kind creations and patterns, store hours, ranch tours, home grown fiber and Kathy's yarn. This is where she will be when she is a various shows., if you can't make it to Tucson any time soon.

Kathy will also be at

Stitches West February 17-20, 2011 Santa Clara, CA Booth 14                              

4th Avenue Spring Street Fair April 1-3, 2011

Albuquerque Fiber Arts Fiesta May 26-29, 2011

Pasadena Bead and Design Show July 28-31, 2011 in the Santa Monica Room

Stitches Midwest August 25-28, 2011 Illinois                                                                                              Patagonia Fall Arts Festival October 7-9, 2011

It is also time to Mark Your calendars for the Tucson Spring Shearing Festival on April 9th from 9 am to 3 pm. It will be at the ranch located at The Withers’ Ranch 4010 W Palo Seco in Tucson. the phone number is
(520) 572-3758/401-6117.

I hope to see you there and that you get a chance to take one of Kathy's classes. If not at least you can check out her on line shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/uniquedesignsbykathy



Wednesday

Not a whole lot got done today. Eric was kind enough to share his cold. I still find it amazing that I don't get more of Eric's colds with the sometimes long hours I put in. I did talk to the gentleman for whom I am making the caps for; and the order was cut by one hat so that I have only one hat to go.

My wonderful husband is going to bring dinner home although I am more thirsty and tired then hungry. He defiantly is a keeper. I am hoping that Eric sleeps tonight because I really need the sleep. As I head of to get some juice I would like to to have a great evening and enjoy your families.

A Busy Day Plus a quick recipe for Ambrosia

Today was spent with Eric home sick. Just for the fun of it I added some spinning, knitting, laundry and deep cleaning.  I am planing ahead for tomorrow as a nurse will be here at 8 am to take care of Eric and give my tired joints a rest. I have finished 1 of the 3 hats that need to be done a week from Friday and am contemplating making a few more to give the customer some choice in colors as she did not specify what colors she wanted.

Now for the promised recipe....

Ambrosia for 1

1 fruit cup drained
2 tablespoons of shredded coconut
1/4 cup maraschino cherries drained
1/2 cup of whipped creme

Place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. It is best to let it sit for a bit but can be eaten right away.

Have a great evening and enjoy your families.

A Busy Weekend

It has been a very busy weekend around here. On Saturday Eric was under the weather so it was UFO day and I did manage to finish 2, and there are more where they came from. They will have to wait though because I got a repeat order for 3 more knitted caps. The first cap is halfway through and I still have 12 days to get them finished.

Today was laundry and a trip to the hardware store. I decided to put off more deep cleaning until they pick up the recycle bin tomorrow, after all you can only put so much stuff in before they say it is too full and they refuse to take it. We talked to Teri today and she got an award for having the highest grade in one of her classes. I did forget the name of the award but it is really something and I call the bragging rights even though I did none of the work.

It is now very early on Monday morning and I am really hoping that Eric is asleep. His room has been quiet for 20 minutes. He has been very fussy for the last 2 1/2 hours and I was ready to go to sleep hours ago.

Well here is to a few hours of sleep and a very peaceful week. Enjoy your families.

Addemium- I did not get Eric to sleep until 3:30 this morning. Ugh I can't believe that I am awake.

Be Good toYour Children

I spent a good part of the afternoon doing the dreaded deep cleaning of my desk drawer's. I should clarify this I only got through 3/4 of one of the file drawers. Not so much for me but for Teri. I know this sounds really odd but the more junk that is totally useless that I get out of the house now the less she will have to do 30 or 40 years from now.

My only regrets of this afternoon were, that they only pick up they recycle bin once a week and I have already done the first mash down of the week, 2 full bins and 2 large bags of recycling went out today. Also that I did not do this sooner. As a generational pack rat I know that this is an inherited trait just ask my mom. I also know that I am on the right track, so please give me time and encouragement.

Those who live with me must not take this as a sign that the house will be done tomorrow a few hours of deep cleaning is all I can handle in one day. A besides I have to give the paper shredder a break too.  I am off to try to finish some craft project or another so I can chill out before Eric gets home and I get busy again.

So have a great evening and enjoy your families

A Pivotial Day

A few days ago I noticed that Eric was having a lot of trouble after his bolist feedings. So I call his doctor and we put him on a trial of no bolist feedings and added and extra can of formula. Since we have made that switch Eric has not wild eyrped once and has slept through the night with the exception of last night. I really think he was ticked off at me for going out on a date with John.

Today was a very pivotal day in my life. Today was the first time in over 20 years that we went out as a family and I was not feeding a child. As I walked across Sweet Tomatoes parking lot I had a really odd thought. Why am I carrying my knitting with me, after all Eric was on the pump and when John and I finished lunch we would leave because we did not have to wait for Eric to finish.

John did notice how lost I felt with no child to feed. I needed to get a new rhythm of eating down. The old one was one bite for me then one bite for Eric until I was done. Then it was one row of knitting and one bite for Eric. I did feel totally lost and some what out of a job. As you all know I feel one of my jobs is to make sure everybody gets enough to eat. Yes Eric was eating via the kangaroo pump, but all I do is set up the bag and add formula during the day. So I my opinion the kangaroo pump was feeding Eric.

I need to remember that feeding Eric is not always our interaction while eating but that Eric get the proper nutrition no matter how the food is delivered. I also have to remember that as a parent not all the roads I cross will be bright and happy events. That I need to cherish every moment with my family because in the end they will not remember what we had to eat but rather the time we spent together.

Enjoy your families and have a great evening.

Making Lemonade

I am still sick and have spent most of the day sleeping. Speaking of which another nap sounds good about now. Not much knitting or any spinning got done today. I did manage to fill the recycle basket but am too tired to walk it to the back door. I will also skip trying to make dinner tonight and let John worry about that. Just maybe I can kick this thing by tomorrow.

My drink of choice today lemon water to make add crushed ice to fill 3/4  of a large drinking glass. Top off with water. Squeeze in 1/4 of a lemon and add 1 sugar cube. Stir drink repeat as necessary.

Enjoy your families and have a great evening.