I've stolen this from Libby. It's 100 books everyone should read. I don't know that I agree completely and I know I'd add some that are missing. Hemmingway anyone? I thought for sure I would have read more, but I'm only at 28. Make your own list and let us know what you've read.
1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen – YES—you’ll notice a trend, she’s my favorite author so I own the complete works
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien – NO and never ever will
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte - YES
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling – again, never will
5. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee - YES
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte - YES
8 1984 - George Orwell -
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman -
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens - YES
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott - YES
12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy –
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller –
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare – I’ve only read what they made us read in school
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier -
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien -
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks -
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger - YES
19 The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger -
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot-
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell - YES
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald - YES
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens-
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy -
25 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams -
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh -
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky –
28 The Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck –YES, under recommendation of my grandpa and favorite English teacher in high school. Smart men.
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll -
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame -
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy -
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens -
33 The Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis -
34 Emma - Jane Austen - YES
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen - YES
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe -
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini - YES
38 Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres-
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden -
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne –
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell –YES, and hated it
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown - YES
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez -
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving -
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins -
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery -
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy -
48 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood – YES, everyone should read this one
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding -
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan - YES
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel -
52 Dune - Frank Herbert-
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons -
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen - YES
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth -
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon -
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens -
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley -
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon -
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez -
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck – YES
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov -
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt -
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold –
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas -
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac -
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy -
68 Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding -
69 Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie -
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville -
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens -
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker -
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett - YES
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson -
75 Ulysses - James Joyce -
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath -
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome -
78 Germinal - Emile Zola -
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray - YES
80 Possession - AS Byatt-
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens - YES
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell -
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker -
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro - YES
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert -
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry -
87 Charlotte's Web - EB White - YES
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom - YES
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle -
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton –
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad - YES
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupe –
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks -
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams -
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole -
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute -
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas -
98 Hamlet – Shakespeare – YES
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl – YES, but I liked Matilda more. It was my first “chapter book” in 2nd grade.
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo –
2/12/09
2 Projects
Remember the purse I mentioned making for my grandma after Thanksgiving? It's coming along, slowly but surely. One side is done. I've started the backside that will be solid dark green. I still haven't decided what I want to do for the straps. Do I want to knit a strap or buy straps? Anyway, here's the front side, unfelted.
I'm also making myself the short row rib scarf. I LOVE doing short rows. The effect just amazes me for some reason. It's especially pretty in the Noro Kureyon I'm using because the color changes line up pretty well with the direction changes. My attempts to post these pictures aren't working, but I'll keep trying.
I'm also making myself the short row rib scarf. I LOVE doing short rows. The effect just amazes me for some reason. It's especially pretty in the Noro Kureyon I'm using because the color changes line up pretty well with the direction changes. My attempts to post these pictures aren't working, but I'll keep trying.
12/28/08
I'm bad at Secret Santa
I'm part of a Secret Santa with some ladies on a forum I frequent. I got my goodies last week, some delicious cookies and a cookie cookbook. Sadly, I was not able to even start my present until today...3 days after Christmas. Better late than never, right? My Secret Santa is starting to crochet, so I made a hook holder using my sewing machine in my newly cleaned sewing room (finally!!). You can tell it's made by someone new to sewing, but it's the thought that counts most, right? Despite the little errors I'm proud of how it turned out. The errors give it character.
12/26/08
We survived the holidays!
I admit, I'm one of those people that gets stressed out around the holidays. Between all the family activities and us all getting sick, it was a lot to juggle. But it's over and we survived. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of Baby G yet because I left my camera at our house so have to get the pictures from my mom. The only picture I have with me right now is our awesome roasted chicken from Christmas Eve. I made a compound butter with fresh rosemary, sage, and orange and lemon zest and slathered it under and on top of the skin. There's a whole head of garlic, an onion, the lemon and orange, carrots, and celery for aromatics. It was pretty much the best chicken ever!
Baby G wasn't so sure what to think of her first Christmas. She had a lot of fun at Grandma and Grandpa's house (and was absolutely spoiled by them!). By the end of the day at her Great Grandparents' house she was about ready for a meltdown Or two. Or three. There was a lot of action that she's not used to at home. She seemed to calm down a little after her Christmas feast of carrots and rice cereal (yum?). She slept the whole way home then went right to bed like a good girl. We were worried all the action of the day would keep her up all night, but she did great.
I hope everyone out there reading had a wonderful Christmas!
Baby G wasn't so sure what to think of her first Christmas. She had a lot of fun at Grandma and Grandpa's house (and was absolutely spoiled by them!). By the end of the day at her Great Grandparents' house she was about ready for a meltdown Or two. Or three. There was a lot of action that she's not used to at home. She seemed to calm down a little after her Christmas feast of carrots and rice cereal (yum?). She slept the whole way home then went right to bed like a good girl. We were worried all the action of the day would keep her up all night, but she did great.
I hope everyone out there reading had a wonderful Christmas!
12/22/08
This is embarrassing
I'm still not knitting. I had a few elbow X-rays. Nothing is broken, it's just badly sprained. I'm probably to the point that I could pick things up again, but there's so much going on right now that I haven't had the time. After the holidays I'll get back into it. So much for a Christmas gift for Grandma!
Now the embarrassing part. We have a three bedroom house. The third bedroom has become a catch-all. By catch-all I mean ALL. This is supposed to be my craft room. There's a sewing machine that's been sitting there since LAST Christmas that's still unused. I have so many ideas for it floating around in my head and now I want to use it. So here's the embarrassing part...the mess.
I found things I didn't even know we had. Mostly I found a bunch of junk (to us) that will be donated to Goodwill because someone out there will find it useful or like it. There's still a lot of work to be done. Progress is slow moving in a room that bad.
Now the embarrassing part. We have a three bedroom house. The third bedroom has become a catch-all. By catch-all I mean ALL. This is supposed to be my craft room. There's a sewing machine that's been sitting there since LAST Christmas that's still unused. I have so many ideas for it floating around in my head and now I want to use it. So here's the embarrassing part...the mess.
I found things I didn't even know we had. Mostly I found a bunch of junk (to us) that will be donated to Goodwill because someone out there will find it useful or like it. There's still a lot of work to be done. Progress is slow moving in a room that bad.
12/9/08
No knitting for awhile?
Well, I finished my sister's housewarming gift. It turned out pretty cute. The picture doesn't do it justice. I did mess up...at the end I wasn't paying attention to where I was in the pattern and started working the wrong side on the right side. Luckily I was about done anyway so ended it a litte early. She told me that if I hadn't told her about the mistake that she wouldn't have noticed. I think it's really noticeable, but she's happy so I'm happy.
I started a purse for my grandma. She mentioned wanting a felted purse at Thanksgiving, so I'm making one up as I go along. I'm using Cascade 220 in two shades of green. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures because there isn't much progress to report on at this time.
Today was the first real winter weather of the season. Everything was covered in a sheet of ice. When I got out of the car at work this morning I slipped and fell (imagine that, klutzy me took a fall!). I caught myself on my left knee and hand. My knee has a huge bruise and my hand/elbow feel a little like it felt when I broke my right elbow when I was 18. I'm going to wait it out and see how it feels tomorrow. I probably shouldn't even be typing right now, but Baby G is sleeping so I have a free minute for once at night.
You might be wondering how I broke my elbow. I worked as a cook at Pizza Hut in high school. I was working the night a tornado hit town, knocking out power to have the residents. Naturally these people had to go wherever was open to eat supper, so Pizza Hut it was. Another cook had just spilled some pizza sauce on the floor and (kind of) cleaned it up. As I was walking to the oven with a pizza in my hands, I slipped and fell. I caught myself with my right hand and ended up sitting right in the pizza I was carrying. After a trip to the ER on Pizza Hut's buck, they found a fracture in my elbow. I had to wear a sling for a few weeks, go to physical therapy, and explain my embarrassing broken bone to everyone at pretty much every graduation party in town. Fun times!!
I started a purse for my grandma. She mentioned wanting a felted purse at Thanksgiving, so I'm making one up as I go along. I'm using Cascade 220 in two shades of green. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures because there isn't much progress to report on at this time.
Today was the first real winter weather of the season. Everything was covered in a sheet of ice. When I got out of the car at work this morning I slipped and fell (imagine that, klutzy me took a fall!). I caught myself on my left knee and hand. My knee has a huge bruise and my hand/elbow feel a little like it felt when I broke my right elbow when I was 18. I'm going to wait it out and see how it feels tomorrow. I probably shouldn't even be typing right now, but Baby G is sleeping so I have a free minute for once at night.
You might be wondering how I broke my elbow. I worked as a cook at Pizza Hut in high school. I was working the night a tornado hit town, knocking out power to have the residents. Naturally these people had to go wherever was open to eat supper, so Pizza Hut it was. Another cook had just spilled some pizza sauce on the floor and (kind of) cleaned it up. As I was walking to the oven with a pizza in my hands, I slipped and fell. I caught myself with my right hand and ended up sitting right in the pizza I was carrying. After a trip to the ER on Pizza Hut's buck, they found a fracture in my elbow. I had to wear a sling for a few weeks, go to physical therapy, and explain my embarrassing broken bone to everyone at pretty much every graduation party in town. Fun times!!
11/18/08
Housewarming gift
My sister and her husband moved into their first house this past weekend. I'm working on a housewarming gift for them, though at the rate I'm moving it'll be more like a Christmas gift. The first part of the gift is a dish scrubby. I saw the idea on the Berlin's Whimsey blog. My sister had leftover netting from her wedding so I cut that into strips and tied it together. It's knit together with Lily Sugar 'N Cream in Summer Splash on size 8 needles.
The second part I'm working on is the circle cloth by hakucho to match the dish scrubby. I'm using the same yarn and needles as the scrubby. I think it would look a lot better if I would have used white as a contrasting color, but I didn't feel like messing around with two colors. It still looks pretty neat. The finished product looks much more complicated than the pattern actually is.
The second part I'm working on is the circle cloth by hakucho to match the dish scrubby. I'm using the same yarn and needles as the scrubby. I think it would look a lot better if I would have used white as a contrasting color, but I didn't feel like messing around with two colors. It still looks pretty neat. The finished product looks much more complicated than the pattern actually is.
11/8/08
Calorimetry, take 2
I needed to make something with pretty much instant gratification. I made Calorimetry for my sister last year. It was such a quick, easy knit that I decided to make one for myself. I started a week ago and finished today (that's quick in my world). I had some beautiful Noro Kureyon just sitting around, so I used that. Stash busting is always a good thing. Here's what I've come up with. It's not the greatest of pictures, but it was taken between football plays (go Hawks!!). Just look at those colors! The gray and purple-ish color fade beautifully into that vibrant teal and green. I love it!
11/4/08
It's good to be green
In an effort to be more environmentally friendly and to save money, we are using cloth diapers on Baby G. Most everyone's first thought is of the diapers our moms and grandmas used on us and plastic pants. Well, that's just not the case anymore. Sure, you can buy prefolds and covers for the most economical diapering system, but the world of diapers has expanded. Pockets, fitteds, all in ones are just a few examples.
And what about the ewwww factor? Well, yes, it can be messy. But so can disposables. Breastmilk poos are water soluable, so you can throw those straight in the wash. Solids you can shake off in the toilet. It's a little more work than a disposable, but I think it's better than throwing all those non-biodegradable diapers into landfills. Diaper laundry is easy. You just throw it in the wash straight from the diaper pail.
The savings are another great benefit. You'll spend thousands to diaper your baby until they are potty trained. You'll spend maybe about $500 or so on cloth that can be used for multiple babies.
And the best benefit? Baby G is much more happy. She always had a rash with disposables. I felt so sorry for her. She's so much healthier with cloth. It's much cuter, too.
My two favorite cloth diaper stores are:
Cottonbabies
Kelly's Closet
When we were at the photography studio getting her pictures taken the other day, I ran into a mom in the bathroom that also used cloth on her kids. I know a few others that do it, too. I'm so happy to see the trend catching on!
And what about the ewwww factor? Well, yes, it can be messy. But so can disposables. Breastmilk poos are water soluable, so you can throw those straight in the wash. Solids you can shake off in the toilet. It's a little more work than a disposable, but I think it's better than throwing all those non-biodegradable diapers into landfills. Diaper laundry is easy. You just throw it in the wash straight from the diaper pail.
The savings are another great benefit. You'll spend thousands to diaper your baby until they are potty trained. You'll spend maybe about $500 or so on cloth that can be used for multiple babies.
And the best benefit? Baby G is much more happy. She always had a rash with disposables. I felt so sorry for her. She's so much healthier with cloth. It's much cuter, too.
My two favorite cloth diaper stores are:
Cottonbabies
Kelly's Closet
When we were at the photography studio getting her pictures taken the other day, I ran into a mom in the bathroom that also used cloth on her kids. I know a few others that do it, too. I'm so happy to see the trend catching on!
11/3/08
A hat for Baby G
Since Baby G's blanket is going nowhere, I decided to knit something with instant gratification. What better than a baby hat? With a little one at home, I only get a few minutes here and there to pick up my knitting needles, but I was able to finish this in only a few days. It's too big on her, but she'll grow into it this winter, I'm sure. I made the pattern up, so I don't really have anything exact to post. I didn't keep track of rows or decreases or anything. It could be prettier, but I just wanted quick results.
Caron Simply soft
size 8 needles
cast on 70
2x2 ribbing for an inch or so
row 1: *(ktbl, p)*
row 2: p
row 3: k
row 4: p
Knit until desired height. For decreases:
row 1: *(k2tog tbl, p)* to end of row
row 2: p
row 3: repeat row 1
Do this until you have about 12 or so stitches left on the needle. Pull yarn through and seam up the side.
Caron Simply soft
size 8 needles
cast on 70
2x2 ribbing for an inch or so
row 1: *(ktbl, p)*
row 2: p
row 3: k
row 4: p
Knit until desired height. For decreases:
row 1: *(k2tog tbl, p)* to end of row
row 2: p
row 3: repeat row 1
Do this until you have about 12 or so stitches left on the needle. Pull yarn through and seam up the side.
10/26/08
Is anybody out there?
It's been a crazy year. I got pregnant then dropped off the face of the blogging world. Now here I am, with a three month old, ready to get back into my knitting, learning to sew cute baby girl clothes, and blogging again.
I'll give a quick pregnancy and baby story. I was hospitalized on July 9 with pre-eclampsia. I went to a routine doctor appointment one day and was told I couldn't go back to work because I was being admitted. I went into premature labor on July 16. After 20 hours of labor and 4.5 of pushing, Baby G made her entrance into this world 6 weeks early. She spent 10 days in the NICU for jaundice and to learn to eat. Other than that, she was as healthy as a full term baby. I was on maternity leave through October 5. I loved spending every minute with out little girl and was very sad to go back to work. We're getting into a good routine now. I can't believe she's 3 months old!
Now that things are settling down and my hands aren't terribly and painfully swollen like they were when I was pregnant, I have picked up my knitting needles again. I'm still working on my blanket for her that I started in March. I also started a hat the other day since it's getting so cold. I have some pictures, but those will have to wait for now. I need to figure out how to post them again since I've forgotten.
But for now...I'm back!
I'll give a quick pregnancy and baby story. I was hospitalized on July 9 with pre-eclampsia. I went to a routine doctor appointment one day and was told I couldn't go back to work because I was being admitted. I went into premature labor on July 16. After 20 hours of labor and 4.5 of pushing, Baby G made her entrance into this world 6 weeks early. She spent 10 days in the NICU for jaundice and to learn to eat. Other than that, she was as healthy as a full term baby. I was on maternity leave through October 5. I loved spending every minute with out little girl and was very sad to go back to work. We're getting into a good routine now. I can't believe she's 3 months old!
Now that things are settling down and my hands aren't terribly and painfully swollen like they were when I was pregnant, I have picked up my knitting needles again. I'm still working on my blanket for her that I started in March. I also started a hat the other day since it's getting so cold. I have some pictures, but those will have to wait for now. I need to figure out how to post them again since I've forgotten.
But for now...I'm back!
2/4/08
I've been MIA
I don't even know the last time I posted, like a month or two ago? I thought I was just getting lazy when I didn't feel like knitting at all and wanted to go to bed at 8:00 each night. No, it wasn't laziness...it was pregnancy! Believe me, it was a shock to me and DH, but of course we're thrilled. I just haven't had the energy to do much of anything after work, be it knit, blog, cook, or move off the couch. It's getting better. Now I'm starting to get a little more motivated to knit because I'll need to make blankets, hats, and booties for my baby. As slow as I knit I'll need to start now if I want anything done by August.
In other news, The Preemie Project's Craft-a-Thon is coming up this Friday. As the name suggests, it's a day long knitting marathon. There are classes and drop in lessons for beginners and a contest. There's still time to sign up for classes or submit an entry for the contest. Betty Christiansen, author of Knitting for Peace will be our guest speaker. It should be a fun day, so join us if you can!
And now I need to lay down because the heartburn and fatigue are too much. :)
In other news, The Preemie Project's Craft-a-Thon is coming up this Friday. As the name suggests, it's a day long knitting marathon. There are classes and drop in lessons for beginners and a contest. There's still time to sign up for classes or submit an entry for the contest. Betty Christiansen, author of Knitting for Peace will be our guest speaker. It should be a fun day, so join us if you can!
And now I need to lay down because the heartburn and fatigue are too much. :)
12/7/07
A few things...
1. Don't forget about The Preemie Project fundraiser at Glassando this Sunday, December 9. 20% of in-store and online purchases will be donated to The Preemie Project. It's a great cause and a great selection of jewelry in all price ranges. Please show your support on Sunday!!!
2. I thought I'd give an update on the problems we've been having conceiving since I received so much support (thank you to all my friends!). The medication unfortunately hasn't worked. I could move on to giving myself (or more appropriately, my husband giving me) shots in the stomach or butt for 10 days and go under a lot of medical monitoring. However, we have decided that is not the right path for us for a number of reasons. If anyone wonders, I'd be happy to tell you those reasons.
Yes, we are upset about the news, but coping as well as can be expected. We're looking at this as a new beginning for us. We hope to adopt in a year or two. I already called an adoption agency today to start researching. The woman I talked to was absolutely wonderful and made me know in my heart this is the right move to start our family. It's an overwhelming process, so we'll start slow. First things first we'll decide on domestic vs international then go from there. With a happy ending in sight, we are very excited to start our journey and share it with our family and friends.
2. I thought I'd give an update on the problems we've been having conceiving since I received so much support (thank you to all my friends!). The medication unfortunately hasn't worked. I could move on to giving myself (or more appropriately, my husband giving me) shots in the stomach or butt for 10 days and go under a lot of medical monitoring. However, we have decided that is not the right path for us for a number of reasons. If anyone wonders, I'd be happy to tell you those reasons.
Yes, we are upset about the news, but coping as well as can be expected. We're looking at this as a new beginning for us. We hope to adopt in a year or two. I already called an adoption agency today to start researching. The woman I talked to was absolutely wonderful and made me know in my heart this is the right move to start our family. It's an overwhelming process, so we'll start slow. First things first we'll decide on domestic vs international then go from there. With a happy ending in sight, we are very excited to start our journey and share it with our family and friends.
12/1/07
Knit Picks order is in
I got my order from Knit Picks yesterday. LOVE it. The Shadow yarn didn't come in a center pull ball, so I had to wind that while watching A Beautiful Mind last night. Winding center pull balls is the worst. All yarn companies should do that for you. I cast on for the feather and fan scarft already. Today has been a good day to work on it with the ice and snow keeping us indoors.
11/22/07
Happy Thanksgiving!
We're taking off soon for my aunt's house, but I have some time to kill so figured I can post. We woke up to our first snow of the season. It's just barely enough to cover the ground, but snow is snow. Winter is here! I love winter. There's nothing better than wearing a warm sweater and curling up with a hot chocolate.
Last night I ordered a few things from Knitpicks. It's the first time I've ordered from them, but I've heard good things. I'll be making the Lace 1,2,3: shadow scarf for myself in Sunset Heather. I'll also finally start Cozy from Knitty for myself in Forest Heather. I'm so excited for both of them to come! I've wanted to make both patterns for so long. I'm especially excited to start Cozy. It'll be great for work on those days we don't have heat. Yes, there are days the heat is off in our building!!! Not cool on 30 degree, cold, windy days.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING ALL!!!
Last night I ordered a few things from Knitpicks. It's the first time I've ordered from them, but I've heard good things. I'll be making the Lace 1,2,3: shadow scarf for myself in Sunset Heather. I'll also finally start Cozy from Knitty for myself in Forest Heather. I'm so excited for both of them to come! I've wanted to make both patterns for so long. I'm especially excited to start Cozy. It'll be great for work on those days we don't have heat. Yes, there are days the heat is off in our building!!! Not cool on 30 degree, cold, windy days.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING ALL!!!
11/15/07
Commitment Problems
I've been knitting, but it feels like I'm getting a whole lot of nothing accomplished. In the past two weeks I've only really finished a dishcloth. I've worked on the cat blanket, but it's just boring stockinette and I wonder if I'll ever finish. I've started and stopped various preemie hats and a snowflake pattern that I can't figure out for the life of me. Instead of knitting, I've been browsing online yarn stores. There's so much I want but can't decide what to buy. There are so many patterns I want to try, but don't know when to start. I hope this commitment problem ends soon.
11/4/07
On a serious note
Some of you reading this know me in real life, some don't. What probably 99% of you don't know is that I'm dealing with infertility right now due to Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). As of today, right now, I'm done hiding it, keeping it inside, and being embarrassed and ashamed. Maybe I'll regret posting this tomorrow, but I doubt it. Talking gets me through my problems.
It all started in September 2006. I had to stop taking birth control pills because of serious and out of control migraines. The migraines actually stopped, which has been absolutely wonderful. But other things didn't get back to normal. After a few doctor visits, I found out I have PCOS. It's the leading cause of infertility in women. 1 in 10 have it, many don't know. Doctors aren't sure what causes it. My ovaries were covered with cysts on the ultrasound. My bloodwork came back all out of whack. I found out it could be very difficult to get pregnant and if I did, miscarriage was a high risk. I'm now at increased/high risk for diabetes and heart disease (which I'm already highly at risk at due to family history). We always planned on having children, but now the plan got moved up a few years. If it'd be difficult at 24, imagine how difficult it'd be even 3-4 years from now.
So in April I started taking fertility medications. Some say the medication could "make a rock pregnant." Well, not me. It couldn't even make me ovulate, which is essential in getting pregnant. The doctors started discussing injectibles. I had a panic attack in the office watching a video on how to give them to yourself. Right now we're on our last round of medication before we stop. Injectibles are not in my future, neither is IVF; I've had a gut feeling for a long time that nothing will work. If this doesn't work, we're done. It hasn't been an easy decision, probably the hardest in either of our lives. But that's where we stand today.
What lies ahead for us? Well, learning to accept our decision is definitely one thing. Logically we're both ok with it. Most days I'm fine. Some days, though, it's impossible to not cry. When I got the news that it didn't work last month I let myself cry for two days then told myself that was it. I won't deny my emotions, but I can't let them take over my life either. We will make great parents and there are other ways to become parents. That means adoption. Maybe it was a sign, but DH starts a new job on Monday. One of their benefits: adoption assistance after 1 year of employment. Unless a miracle happens between now and then, we will be taking advantage of it to the fullest. Looking to the future makes us both very excited. A light at the end of the tunnel makes this so much easier to deal with.
I've learned so many things through this. 1) My family is the most important thing in the world. Without my husband, parents, sister, grandmother, and aunts I wouldn't have made it through this relatively unscathed. I should mention friends here as well. Even if they don't know what to say at times, just listening helps so much. 2) Even though I feel so alone in this sometimes, there are thousands of women feeling the same thing I am right now. This doesn't have to be taboo. Granted, it won't be brought up in all casual conversations, but it's ok to say it outloud to someone. 3) This may be most important-I AM STRONG AND WILL MAKE IT THROUGH THIS. Infertility will not define me as a person. Period.
It all started in September 2006. I had to stop taking birth control pills because of serious and out of control migraines. The migraines actually stopped, which has been absolutely wonderful. But other things didn't get back to normal. After a few doctor visits, I found out I have PCOS. It's the leading cause of infertility in women. 1 in 10 have it, many don't know. Doctors aren't sure what causes it. My ovaries were covered with cysts on the ultrasound. My bloodwork came back all out of whack. I found out it could be very difficult to get pregnant and if I did, miscarriage was a high risk. I'm now at increased/high risk for diabetes and heart disease (which I'm already highly at risk at due to family history). We always planned on having children, but now the plan got moved up a few years. If it'd be difficult at 24, imagine how difficult it'd be even 3-4 years from now.
So in April I started taking fertility medications. Some say the medication could "make a rock pregnant." Well, not me. It couldn't even make me ovulate, which is essential in getting pregnant. The doctors started discussing injectibles. I had a panic attack in the office watching a video on how to give them to yourself. Right now we're on our last round of medication before we stop. Injectibles are not in my future, neither is IVF; I've had a gut feeling for a long time that nothing will work. If this doesn't work, we're done. It hasn't been an easy decision, probably the hardest in either of our lives. But that's where we stand today.
What lies ahead for us? Well, learning to accept our decision is definitely one thing. Logically we're both ok with it. Most days I'm fine. Some days, though, it's impossible to not cry. When I got the news that it didn't work last month I let myself cry for two days then told myself that was it. I won't deny my emotions, but I can't let them take over my life either. We will make great parents and there are other ways to become parents. That means adoption. Maybe it was a sign, but DH starts a new job on Monday. One of their benefits: adoption assistance after 1 year of employment. Unless a miracle happens between now and then, we will be taking advantage of it to the fullest. Looking to the future makes us both very excited. A light at the end of the tunnel makes this so much easier to deal with.
I've learned so many things through this. 1) My family is the most important thing in the world. Without my husband, parents, sister, grandmother, and aunts I wouldn't have made it through this relatively unscathed. I should mention friends here as well. Even if they don't know what to say at times, just listening helps so much. 2) Even though I feel so alone in this sometimes, there are thousands of women feeling the same thing I am right now. This doesn't have to be taboo. Granted, it won't be brought up in all casual conversations, but it's ok to say it outloud to someone. 3) This may be most important-I AM STRONG AND WILL MAKE IT THROUGH THIS. Infertility will not define me as a person. Period.
10/28/07
Winnie the Pooh blanket
Here's my second sewing project ever (with my mom's help). It's a Pooh blanket to go along with the hats and booties for Benjamin. It's absolutely adorable, so I really hope they like it. It's not perfectly square and the lines weren't sewn that straight, but I'm still learning.
This picture of Poppy was taken sometime this weekend. We're thinking of submitting it to lolcats. The caption is still up in the air. This has got to be one of her best pictures yet.
10/25/07
Calorimetry, Glassando, and eating
There was leftover Cascade 220 from Wavy and my sister wanted a hat to go with it. I didn't have enough for a hat, but there was enough for calorimetry. I read in some reviews on Ravelry that 120 stitches was way too much so I cast on with 100 and used size 6 needles. I'll put on a button this weekend once my sister has tried it on.
Mark your calendars for December 9. Details are still in the making, but Abby from Glassando has graciously offered a great fundraising opportunity for the Preemie Project. 20% of the day's sales will be donated for the Craft-a-Thon in February. Her jewelry is AMAZING and perfect for yourself or for gifts. Seriously, I'd buy her out of stock if I could. I highly recommend the amber jewelry...you could say I have a slight obsession with it.
And now to food. Who doesn't love to talk about food? I love to cook and make up recipes as I go. This creation was just so pretty and tasty that I had to take a picture of it. It's New York strip steak, ravioletti, and a homemade tomato cream sauce.
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