Scotland here I come!

Yahoo! We're going to Scotland for our vacation this year! Starting off in London and then traveling to Scotland for some time in Ediburgh and then off the highlands for a whirlwind tour of the gorgeous mountains, glens and lochs. I can't wait! Here little hairy coo!!! I want to kiss you!



On another note - I'm also excited to get started on our landscaping! We agreed to get some landscaping done in the front of our house and they start the first week in April. There will be boulders and flagstone and stacked stone - did I mention I love stone!! The Stone store will be doing the work and I'm very excited - even though it is a little pricey. Why is home repairs and construction so expensive! You don't have to be smart to lift a shovel - but i guess you do have to have some kind of brawn. I wish I could organize of a group of people who trade off hard labor for each other. It would be great. Every month - a different person in the group gets to use the other for hard labor. It would be free (plus pizza and beer or something) and everyone would get a chance to use the group for their home projects. You could also opperate in trade. Like if I knew how to fix a toilet- I could trade my services for someone else's. It would be great! How awesome an idea is that. Maybe I should start that. A what's your talent website. Operating via the trade and barter system.

On the knitting front - I started another bag. This one very large (I hope) and will be used as a tote. I cast on 100 stitches and hope the bag doesn't look stupid once it's washed. I also hope I don't run out of yarn! That number 95 Noro is fairly rare.

TGIF mindset

I love fridays! If - for no other reason than I get to sleep in tomorrow and that means I can stayup late tonight!

I am going to a going away happy hour for my friend Audra. She's moving back to the south. She couldn't make it up here I guess. It is hard to be alone - and away from family.

I hope to get alot of stuff done in my garden this weekend and I am hoping it rains so my dirt gets softened up a bit!!

Yeah - I love getting packages!

I got a tree in the mail yesterday - yes a live tree. I ordered a hydrangea tree from Cottage Farms and it arrived yesterday in a snall and slightly beat up brown box. Gotta love UPS and their ability to crush anything and everything with the utmost consistency. I was a little surprised to see that the tree had actually survived the delivery and is now sitting in my garage waiting to be planted. It's not much of a tree at the moment I'm afraid - it's really just a stick with roots at the moment -


but I have high hopes my little stick. One day it - will be this....


I am hoping to go home today and find more packages of plants waiting for me! I have some dinner plates dahlias, some ornamental grasses and some peonies on the way!

Now I just have to do my rain dance so that we will get some rain to loosen up the concrete that I call my yard. Otherwise - it will impossible to plant anything.

I have been way too busy for just one week!

Monday night - I went to my scrapbooking meetup - and I finally started my wedding album. Only 3 years late - at this rate - I'll be finished in about 10 years - just in time to start the "we built a house!" album I've been planning since 2003.

Tuesday - I went to Amicci's in Little Italy for a book club Meetup - my first one so far. It was great food and pretty good conversation. I sat on the "older" end of the table and talked to a few 40 somethings. They were much more interesting than what I could see of the younger half of the table. Too much giggling. I also sat next to a couple of girls who just started working at Teksystems - what a small world! I told them to get out while they still could! The book was just ok - not my normal thing.... Assasination Vacation - (sounds like a murderous travel book) turned out to be about the assasination of Lincoln, McKinley and Garfield. Non-fiction.... I don't usually do non-fiction - but it was nice for a change of pace. next time - it's To Kill a Mockingbird.

Wednesday we met with our Stone Store guy - who smells like an ashtray! I'm still finding cigarette butts in my yard from the ONE day he spent taking measurements. How many cigarettes can you smoke while making measurements? Anyway - he gave us a very nice drawing with a very unrealistic price. I told him no way - not gonna happen. Miraculously he reworked the numbers and came up with a price almost half as much but removing just a few little details here and there.... I think that first price - was just an opening bid... kind of like buying a car.

Speaking of cars - today is the day my hubby get his fast.

I am not exactly happy about this.... but it's not my car. It's his car. It's also a Yo-Boy car. I will never call it anything else.

And that brings me to today - when I get to go to a lab and be sonogrammed - what fun! No - not really.

Where is Spring?

It was a lovely weekend - BUT - still too cold for Spring. Today is officially the first day of Spring - but the forcast includes snow and drizzle - or snizzle if you are so inclined....



I had off last Friday as a reward for working so many long hours the past few weeks. Not really a reward I guess - I had already billed 60 hours and was probably racking up too much overtime!
I spent my day off in the garden, cleaning out the flower beds and planting pink pansies. I love the color - I've never seen them in pink before!

I also got out my tool belt and put together two new bookcases for out master bedroom niche. I ordered these gorgeous bookcases from Crate and Barrel and they were super easy to put together - I actually got them both together all by myself before John got home. I love the sitting room - all I need now is curtains of some sort. Or maybe I'll make a valence.... hmm....




The rest of the weekend was nice and relaxing. I got most of the way done with a green sock that I started for St Patricks Day. I'm not too happy with the yarn - I got it online from KnitPicks and I had to start over three times because the yarn was unraveling to badly. It doesn't look that great even now - but I'm not going to rip it out at this point. I've alreayd finished the leg and most of the heel. I was following direction from the Urban Knitter and I was intrigued with the way they instructed the heel.

It was very different from the other directions I had read on turning a heel - this one was called Short Row heel. It wsa definitely different - I'm not sure which is more difficult (or easy as the case may be) but I like the look of this one. I'll have to see how it comes out. Since this will be the (I say WILL!!) the first sock I've finished. I had gotten to about this point before on another pair and then stopped because I was told they were too big. I shouldn't have listened to the person who said it - because i don't regard them very highly. I should pick them back up again and finish them....
Anyway - my socks are looking awesome so far!! I tried them on and they feel fabulous. I've never had hand made socks before - so I'm will definitley be spoiled after this!

Let see - what else.... Oh!! the doggies got their haricut and they look too cute! I'll to take some pictures. Hurley look unbelievable cute again. I can even forgive his several "accidents" this weekend. He's lucky he's cute!

There was also a birthday outing on Saturday for Willliam at Da Mimmo's. It was quite the gourmet meal. We started out with risotto balls (yummy!!) and them I had arugula salad and a wonderful veal dish - that was almost like chicken cordon blue - but with a lovely carmalized onion gravy and pine nuts and berries of some kind. It was heaven! We had a great time and even though it cost over $600 for the evening - it was worth every penny.

I also went to Let's Dish on Saturday - I got done in just one hour - I guess doing it myself is much more efficient! I was the first one done!

Sunday was quiet and I got to relax for the entire day - I love those kinds of days!!

What day is this?

I have worked a total of 50 hours this week so far and it's only noon on Thursday!

Some co-workers and I stayed late last night until about midnight when we all turned into pumpkins and had to roll ourselves out for the evening.

We are under such incredible pressure to get things done for this implementation. I guess I never realized how bad it was during the final stages of an implementation because in reality - this is really the first time I've been there for one. All the other projects I've been involved with I've ever come on after they were already live, had no part in the development, or left before they went live.

Being a developer definitely has its highs and lows. I don't really need to deal with angry customers anymore - BUT I have to work long hours during crunch time, I have to change things three and four times when people can't make up their mind what they want, and I have to work quickly and with high quality which is very hard to do when under pressure.

Like DH says - it can either be done quick or be done right - but not both!

My mom came down and spent the last few days at our place - supposedly to watch Hurley after his "snip, snip" operation. He was basically back to his old self in about two days. So - mom and I spent some quality time knitting! I finished my second Booga Bag and she bought yarn for her first try with circular needles. I really hope she likes it!

I also started some randomw yarn I bought at Tuesday Morning and I really like it! If I can find more - I'd love to make a wrap out of it. but if I can't - it may end up being just a square used in a larger blanket or something.

I have a bad habit of starting blankets and quilts and never finishing them!! I guess I just get bored easily.

Oh and on the baby news front - we went to the Dr on Friday and she told me I have to lose weight - again. Big surprise. I really need to start some kind of program. I think DH will maybe be more apt to try with me since it's for a baby. Who knows. But anyway - I am going to have to get another sonogram before she will start me on Clomid. This will make me hyperovulate. Lovely! I just hope some of those little suckers get make it out!!

Here's hoping for twins!

Makeup

Did you ever get a call from a friend who is freaking out becuase they forgot to put on their make up this morning? I mean come on! Maybe it's just me - but I don't always wear makeup - it's usually for a special occasion. If I do wear makeup during the day - it's just eyeliner and maybe eyeshadow. But that's abou it.

I had to bring in eye shadow, pencil, mascara, and foundation.

Anyway - I got to use my cute Vera Bradley bag to carry it all in - so it was worth it! :)

I've been down this road before

Why can't people make up their minds? I know when I say something - I mean it - why it is that when some people say something - the next day they will turn around and say they never said it. Even when you write it down and give it to them - they will still claim ignorance.

I am dealing with this at work - some of my customers keep changing their mind and it's driving me crazy! I shouldn't complain - because hey I get paid either way - no matter how long it takes me - but I just want to be done!

Argh!

Anyway - enough complaining.
I'm done now.

It's just another Manic Monday

I hate Mondays! Especially when the weekend was so great. I love when I have a perfect weekend - but it never seems to last. I had just the right amount of fun and relaxation this weekend. It's rare to get an even split like that. Usually it's one or the other.

This weekend started out with a celebration dinner! DH got a raise - yeah! I took him to this Japanese restaurant I kept meaing to take him to. Tempura - yum! He got his Asian food fix and we had a nice evening.



Saturday was filled with shopping and cleaning up and installing all kinds of stuff. We finally got my cool bookshelf put together. I love it - it's totally cubular! Sorry - bad joke. Anyway - DH also installed my ceiling fan in my office. It's very retro/modern. We cleaned up a bit more in the bedroom and I hope next weekend I can finally hang up pictures and curtains in the nook.



We went to a party Saturday night at Pam and Steve's new place. It looks amazing! It started out as this run down rancher and it's not a 2 story house with two decks and a vaulted ceiling family room, new garage, new bathrooms and new kitchen. it's amazing what can be done in a year! They had some fabulous Indian food including samosas and lassies. To top off the evening - they had a bellydancer come in! It was strangely erotic in a weird kind of way. Her belly could move in ways I've never seen before! All the guys were standing there mouths agog! it was kind of like being a fly on the wall of a bachelor party!

After the magical bouncing belly - we played abit of table tennis - love it! and headed home.

the second half of the weekend was the relaxing half. Test drove a Mini (yes DH thinkgs they are cool and has a new car itch! _ After realizing he can't fit in one we went home). I knitted the rest of the day and finished my second booga bag - yippee! Now I just need to felt it and make the handles.



Too cool.

What a weekend!

It started out Friday with dinner with DH's crazy car friends. I can't say I enjoy them... but I did enjoy dinner and ice cream! I did get to give the booties and hat to little Emily - she is such a doll!

I'll have to post a picture of her.

Saturday - was a marathon work day. I went over to a co-worker's house and we worked non stop for 11 hours!! In between stuffing our faces with trail mix and pizza - we actually got alot done! I'm still tired though!

Sunday as fun - DH and I went shopping and boy did we shop till we dropped!! What started out as a trip to Lowes to return a chandelier - turned into a $1000 shopping spree!
We start out at Lowes and did indeed get the new chandelier - but we also picked up a new celing fan for my office, a nwe shower caddy, new towel bar and tissue holder for the powder room, new faucet and light for the powder room, a new doorbell and a few other various odds and ends.

After Lowes - we stopped at Tuesday morning - where I got some yarn (yeah!!) and pots for container gardens (double yeah!). We then went to a discount furniture store and bought a love seat for the master bedroom. It's a gorgeous micro fiber light tan love seat. That finally got us to clean the rest of the boxes out of the master bedroom's sitting area. There was stuff sitting in there since the fire. I know - we're lazy!

I thought we'd have to time to get everything set up in the master - but I ended up cleaning up my office instead - framing pictures and putting stuff away. I guess next weekend - we'll finish the decorating!

After all that fun - DH's friends with little baby Emily came over and we had dinner and watched the Incredibles. Man - 3 year olds have alot of energy - I couldn't believe it! Do I really want kids?

By now - I'm starting to feel like I'm getting sick. Lack of sleep and the stress of working is finally catching up to me. Monday morning - slept in (sort of) and then worked for a few hours. I should have just taken the day off to catch up on sleep - but instead I went out after working from home to a Scrapping Meetup at the local scrap supply store. It was actually very fun! Met alot of new people and everyone seems really nice.

Phew! I think that's it.

Now - I just have to get through today!

Holy toenail!

My dog Bailey had the worst day today! It was actually a miracle that I even found him. I had left for the day - took the dogs out - fed them - got in the car and was about to pull out of the driveway when my cell phone rang. My friend Sue needed me to enter her hours online. I had forgotten to enter my hours too (doh!) so I turned off the car and went back inside.

When I got back in - I saw Bailey sitting on the rug licking his back paw. He limped over to me when I called him. I took his foot in my hands and blood was everywhere. I tried to see his paw - but he screamed and tgried to bite my hand. I finally was able to see enough of his paw - and found a nail hanging by a thread - and it fell off in my hand. Poor guy!

Well - I immediately scooped him up and got a paper towel and tried to stop the bleeding. I called John and then the vet and took off to get him fixed up.

He now has his foot wrapped up and is limping around on three legs. I just hope he gets better soon!

My poor baby.