Another Blog with Random Musings

One Thing: A Trip to the Library

2012-01-23T19:37:00.000-07:00

So, the One Thing thing lasted about well, two days. At least on the blog. I'd like to believe that I've done One Thing daily - even on those days when I haven't been up for doing anything at all.

I paid a visit to my local library - Anythink - formerly known as the Rangeview Library District. It's an amazing place - open, welcoming and you don't have to be silent. Also, they use a more intuitive catalog system - foregoing the Library of Congress and Dewey Decimal systems. This is a little odd to me - they even sort books by title - not author under each category, which took a little adjustment on my end.

I've been visiting weekly since before the holidays, and today I actually took the time to take home a few books - a pair on sock knitting and three business books. I figure I have time on my hands, so I had better take advantage of it!

One Little Work Thing

2011-12-02T12:44:00.001-07:00

Image via Wikipedia

Today's one thing was to tackle my desk at work. I've been doing it bit by bit for the last two weeks or so, but I have a top left drawer that was stacked with about seven random files of STUFF.

I processed some donations from this week (good thing), sent some paperwork that my national office has been clamoring for (another good thing) and got rid of a lot excess paperwork. Gotta love the shredder.

Now to tackle some MarComm stuff like sponsorship and restaurant recruitment packages. The tasks were good to handle, but now it's back to strategy!

Tonight, I go back to that etsy thing - again. I will get a store set up!

One Thing Starts Today

2011-12-01T15:57:00.001-07:00

OK - so I totally flaked out on the "One Thing" concept over Thanksgiving. I figured I'd wait till the first of the month to get inspired.

Today's one thing isn't anything exciting at all. it's actually reactive a bit more than proactive. I ended up getting rejected for something I really wanted today. My one thing was to not sulk (too much), and get out of the office for a walk in the snow and wind. It was slightly refreshing. I have a feeling the part about not letting myself get down about my situation will be a recurring theme, until the right thing comes along.

Tonight, I'll actually sign up for an etsy seller account for Sock Monkey Creations and perhaps knit a scarf for the store!

Also, I posted this late because I didn't get online last night, and Blogger doesn't offer scheduled postings, as far as I know.

A Little Inspiration

2011-11-29T09:15:00.001-07:00

Image via Wikipedia

A high school friend posted this on Facebook, and I felt I needed to pass it along.

Do not become subservient. Do not dwell on every tiny setback in the course of pursuing your chosen path. To do so would be foolish. Victory or defeat is determined by our entire lives. Moreover, our final years are the most crucial. What is enviable about the pretentious rich? What is great about conceited celebrities? What is admirable about political leaders who gained their positions of power by treating others with contempt? Dig right where you stand, for there lies a rich wellspring! - Daisaku Ikeda

One Thing a Day

2011-11-23T09:36:00.001-07:00

I came across a blog yesterday, My Thing A Day, and I loved it. A simple concept - do one thing a day that makes a big difference in your life. I'm not so sure about the "big" thing - but I do like the thought of one thing a day that's meaningful to ME. It could be as simple as applying for one job, or one I really need to do - mail a baby gift to the 5 month old twins I've known about for a year now.

And, it will make me blog. Or it should.

So I think I'll add a page to this blog and do my "one thing." Even if it's boring to my one reader, it should mean something to me!

Being a Jerk vs Being Direct

2011-10-22T21:28:00.001-06:00

The Daily Beast posted the classic story on the perception of women in the workplace when they are assertive, direct and less apologetic. The results - women who cut out the niceties such as Please, Thanks and I'm Sorry often get more respect in the workplace -to a point. Push that assertiveness to the point of being disagreeable, and it will come back to bite women. But not men.

I see why being assertive works. Completely. It makes total sense. If it's my job to delegate something, and your job to do it, I really don't need to say please and thank you, nor should I be apologetic for tasking you. That's doing my job, not being mean. And yet, I still nearly always sign my emails with a Thank You, and look for a "Please" from my manager and colleagues when they would like me to do something. I rarely get this from my manager (nor a thank you), and I find it incredibly aggravating.

I guess I am a sucker for being polite. When a greeter in a store opens the door, or wishes me a good morning, I always return the salutation, or look them in the eye and say thank you. It's not pandering, or being meek, it's being NICE. My mother the psychotherapist would call it co-dependent. I still call it being nice.

Interestingly, when males fight or bully others it is more physical and direct. Female bullying is often referred to as "relational" bullying, and we fight on a much more emotional plane. Sociologically, women make "everything" a relationship (I know, major generalization).

I've succeeded throughout my career because I am great at building relationships, and caring about my customers. Within those relationships I am appreciative and of course polite, but I am also direct and clearly define my expectations. That is why I succeed. It's how I am able to increase sales, close long-standing business in the pipeline and affect customer (donor) loyalty. I make the ask - I don't apologize for it at all.

One afternoon with my colleagues waiting to go to lunch and literally lined up at my cubicle, I asked my process champion at UPS what it would take to get them a contact. Nothing more, nothing less. She right then said she would purchase the product at XXX price, and I should get her a contract that day. My boss' eyes just about popped out of his head when he heard me openly ask for the sale (we were not usually that direct), but of course he was terribly pleased with the result. And of course, I thanked her at the end of the call!

Clearly, there is a place for direct communication. Things get done when you say what you need to say. But there's no excuse for not thanking someone for their contribution or assistance. And there's no need to demand things rudely when a simple "please" will go so far in their mind.

And on that note, thank you for reading, and oh, please help me find a job!

Help Me Hate Winter A Little Less

2010-11-17T15:28:00.000-07:00

I need your help. Well, I don’t really need your help (check back here often, as someday I personally will need your help, I know), but there are a lot of people around the Denver metro area who need your help!

I’ve been a bit inspired by Dave Price, the weather guy on the CBS Early Show. Yes, of course, he’s an adorable member of the Tribe, on whom I have a gigantic TV anchor crush, but that’s totally beside the point. Right now he’s doing his second annual “No Way Home” segment for the show, where he has to get from the West Coast (in this case, Anchorage, AK) back to the GM Building in New York City in a week.

There are two basic rules to his trip: he can’t fly more than 1,000 miles, and he can’t just be given stuff – he has to earn it. To say Dave’s had a rough go of it would be an understatement and a cliché. It’s been, an “adventure,” and I’ve been geekily following him on twitter, and the CBS Early Show site, and while funny, you do kinda feel bad for the guy.

Twice he has lost his coat, and he’s not even east of the Rockies yet. And it’s cold out there. But let’s be honest – he’s walking around with a camera crew, and probably is afforded a lot more liberties than say a homeless family or vet, right?

Some of you know that I hate winter. OK – hate is a strong word, so I strongly dislike winter. A lot. I complain about walking the dogs in the morning, or having to walk from the gym to the car. But I have a place to work, a place to sleep, and I can always stop for an overpriced specialty coffee if I am really cranky. So many people here in the metro area don’t. They must really hate winter. And this is where you come in.

I am collecting new and gently used coats for folks in the Denver Metro Area. I have a closet full of coats that I really don’t wear that often, ok AT ALL, and that’s just a starting point. If you are more organized than I am, and you’ve already cleaned your closet, then visit your local charity thrift/second hand shop and help two groups at once!

If you’d like to help, please send me an e-mail at ADDcrafter@gmail.com, or find me on twitter. I’ll even come pick them up from you, or meet you half-way if you live in south nowhere or something like that (I don’t really “do” south of Belleview, as again, some of you know).

I don’t have a firm goal yet, but I am thinking 100 coats would be a good starting point, and pretty darn easy to hit. In fact, I think it's a totally ninny goal. I guess as a social media geek (and by no means a self appointed guru), I’d also really love to see this go a little viral, so please tell your friends, family and followers. Perhaps they can do the same thing where they live.

Thanks in advance for your help – let’s make this winter a little warmer for Denver’s less fortunate!

Some Things That Came To Mind This Week

2010-10-30T19:15:00.000-06:00

I had some epiphanies this week. Well, not all of them were really epiphanies, some were more realizations that came during strange moments (like in the middle of a wing eating contest) which made them feel far more important and relevant.

I was just going to Tweet them out, but then I realized that it would be a little bit more like a Top 10 list. Since those aren't so Tweetable, I thought I'd just put them down here. Plus people have been asking me to keep up on this thing a little more, so here goes.

Things that dawned on me this week, otherwise known as realizations and epiphanies (in no particular order):

Planning is for schmucks. Really. I mean, if you are in control of the whole plan, then by all means it's great, but if there's a moving part, don't even bother.
I will not chase shiny objects - whether known quantities or not. Really. I'm fine with being the mouse (coincidentally my nick-name as a kid).
We change a lot as we age, but I do think there's a core inside you that doesn't change. You may just suppress it without realizing it. That said, I drink like I did in college, and still lack a lot of self confidence (but see point 12).
You can take a little black dress to a business meeting (sensible black chunky heels), your own charity event (sexy do me heels the boys all love), and a western formal with the richest woman in Denver riding her horse through dinner (shit-kickers from a garage sale).
43 wings SOUNDS like a lot, and it is, but I can eat more, so long as there is not a time constraint like those crazy competitive eaters use. And I will be hungry and thinking of food within 12 hours.
I may be a snarky bitch at times, but it's awesome to see someone you've helped or mentor achieve something they may never have thought possible.
Gin can replace vodka in certain situations, with the right company; and I'll add that I need to win Powerball so I can be a bar fly/rat.
I really do love being treated like a VIP, even if there's no reason to do so, and I could really get used to it.
I do not like to cook, so don't ask me what's for dinner. I'll answer cereal, and mean it. Seriously.
Few things compare to being wanted, liked, appreciated and/or loved. Few things also compare with having someone really pissed at you. I'll stick with the former.
I still love being preppy, and preppy boys still make me melt. Nantucket Reds, anyone?
I can fake my way through a lot of crap. Really, really well.

Bacon Jam

2010-02-17T22:27:00.000-07:00

My job has one benefit - I get to look for new and innovative restaurants. I found Rack & Rye about a month or so ago - maybe longer, and couldn't wait to try it. The menu looked unique and plain and simply yummy.
We hit it this afternoon at around 4:30, and were the only patrons. Not too much of an issue for me, except I need this place to succeed!

From the moment I saw the menu, I had to try the Bacon Jam. I had no clue what it was, but anything with bacon has to be good. It arrived with the bacon jam in an espresso mug, a sliced, toasted baguette and a sliced, however unripe, tomato. I took a tiny nibble of the Bacon Jam (I have some major food issues - who knew what this really was?), and it tasted a lot like the absolute best part of a baby back rib. A bit chewy, smokey and just delicious. As I mentioned, the tomato would have really accented the jam had it been ripe, or if not, had salt been available on the table.

It turns out Bacon Jam is bacon and carmelized onions in a balsamic reduction. Not rocket science, but at $4 during happy hour, it totally hit the spot. I "paired" it - there as no science to this for me - with an Odell 90 Schilling, and the salt, sweet and crunch rocked my world.

I hope Rack & Rye makes it. My husband isn't a fan of small plates, as he feels he needs to eat about 8 of them, and is out $50 before he knows it. For me, I love the variety. Now I guess I just need a different date!

By the way, Bacon Jam is not on my performance diet, but it, along with the Lobster Mac 'n Cheese at The Corner Office and the Fried Chicken at Steuben's Food Service are amazing eats that I could go for any day!

Resolutions...I'm really trying to stick to them!

2010-01-13T19:20:00.000-07:00

So here we are, just under two weeks into 2010 and I haven't exactly fallen off the wagon, though I think I may have to work a little harder to keep up with everything. Focus!

Hooks and Needles

1. Chocolate Vanilla Swirl Blanket. This is a baby blanket for the wife of an old college friend. They know they are having a boy, so I wanted to keep it kinda neutral. I made this same blanket for another friend, and it's a great soft knit, that works up quickly (and uses a nice bit of stash). Once I am done with all of this stash-busting, I'd like to make this in a larger version for the living room, or try it in some different colors!

2. Flat Feet Socks - this project is adored by my beagle/shepherd mix, Veruca Salt. Three times she has destroyed this project - but only the needles (size 3 circs from Knit Picks). She manages to not damage the yarn and I can even save the stitches, but I may never get this set done!

3. Lion Brand Sock-Ease socks in Cotton Candy. Ugh - this pink was a lot more pink than I thought! It's a straight ribbed sock I started on the plane to Vegas back in December. It's knitting up quickly, but I need to get it off the needles, especially as I now need those 3's for the Flat Feet!

4. Various crochet facecloths. I want to make these and sell them on ArtFire.com. That said, I don't want to do anything with ArtFire.com until my stash is depleted. These are a quick project if I am less than inspired on anything else.

5. I forgot to add that I am working on some mats for my dogs' bowls. These are felted with Lion Brand Fisherman wool, which I have to confess I bought on sale a few weeks ago. It's a project I have been wanting to undertake for months, and it's a mindless knit that has no deadline.

From Getting Back Into Shape to Running and Ultra
While preparing for the Surf City Half Marathon, I was able to get a free ticket to Austin to run the 3M half matathon Janaury 24th. It will be a quick trip to see my great friend Melissa and her family, run 13 miles, and see the wonderful city of Austin! I will also get in a long run, and be better prepared for the half marathon in Huntington Beach two weeks later.

A few months ago, Runners World Magazine had an article on the best Ultra events for beginners. There was one race that totally interested me, the Lean Horse in South Dakota. There is a 50 mile and a 50K option (and 100 miles, but that's not an option for me at all), and I am not sure which one I want to do yet, but that is my goal for 2010. My husband was looking at doing an Ironman event on the same day, but he has since changed his mind, and is looking at a local Half Ironman instead, which was mighty convenient. Maybe. Now I have to run a long, long way.

It's back to the baby blanket so I can move on to some other projects - I have a LOT more yarn in my stash than I ever knew. I have a feeling it's going to be afghan city around here!

Digging Into the Stash

2010-01-01T17:32:00.000-07:00

So...lots of yarn, and a lot more work to do to clean out the knitting room. I plan on spending the next few weeks clearing out the acrylic yarn in my stash...

Hooks and Needles
1. Crochet blanket - brown and pink (not my favorite combo at all!), using Red Heart Super Saver. This was a project I started about three years ago when my friend's wife was expecting. She wanted pink and brown, so I made a baby blanket (which poor baby Iris didn't even get for nearly a year as I am so lame about hitting the post office), and started a blanket for mom. Never finished this thing. It's actually pretty nice, and I am probably three days from finishing it.

2. Flat Feet Socks - this project is adored by my beagle/shepherd mix, Veruca Salt. Three times she has destroyed this project - but only the needles (size 3 circs from Knit Picks). She manages to not damage the yarn and I can even save the stitches, but I may never get this set done!

3. Lion Brand Sock-Ease socks in Cotton Candy. Ugh - this pink was a lot more pink than I thought! It's a straight ribbed sock I started on the plane to Vegas back in December. It's knitting up quickly, but I need to get it off the needles, especially as I now need those 3's for the Flat Feet!

4. Various crochet facecloths. I want to make these and sell them on ArtFire.com. That said, I don't want to do anything with ArtFire.com until my stash is depleted. These are a quick project if I am less than inspired on anything else.

Getting Back in Shape
I started Fitness Magazine's Skinny Jeans Workout a little over a week ago. It claims that doing the workout for four weeks will help your glutes, quads, hammies and abs. We'll see! I do love it, and I can already feel a bit more strength, but I did strain my IT band as well. Ugh. And of curse, there is always the fact you can't spot reduce, so it's going to take some over all commitment to really get back into shape (duh).

We are running the Surf City USA Half Marathon on February 7th. I have not run at all since the Las Vegas Half Marathon December 6th, so tomorrow Bob and I have an 8 miler planned. I hope it feels good. I need to find the love of running again!

It's back to working on the pink/brown blanket. I'd love to get through the last brown panel this afternoon, and be able to have one of my little yarn cubes cleaned out by the end of the weekend! I've spent the afternoon window shopping at Majestic Mountain Sage for some new lip balm and body butter recipes...I have to practice some restraint - no new body stuff until the stash is under control!

2010 - bigger, stronger, faster. Well, how about more dedicated?

2010-01-01T17:20:00.001-07:00

So, it's 2010. Like everyone else, I guess it's time to reflect on last year and make some plans for this one. Except I have no intention of reflecting on last year - it wasn't that great. (I just typed two paragraphs about how not-so-great it was, which I deleted, as I am not reflecting. But now looking ahead...

This year I have a few commitments.

1. Clear out my yarn stash. Really. Seriously. I would love to turn into a "project" knitter, where I buy my yarn for a specific project, rather than just because it's pretty, cool or nice. I have a lot of knitting to do in order to get there.

2. Blog more regularly - like one time a week. While it may not be terribly interesting stuff, it will hopefully keep me on task with objective one above.

3. Find my love for running again, and perhaps attack a 50K run...maybe even a 50 miler. I have one in mind, but it happens to be the same day as Ironman Louisville, which my husband wants to. So that means I'll be doing my race of choice (Lean Horse, SD 50 miler) in 2011, but I am sure I can find a good run to do in 2010.

4. Enjoy life more. It's not that hard. I have a great family, good friends, and two amazing dogs. I have a job, and even if it's not perfect, it should pay the bills and leave me time to really enjoy everything. I want to make a conscious decision to enjoy more things!

5. Open an Artfire.com store - and sell some creations including my lip balm and body creams!

So...those are the plans for 2010. Pretty simple - and that's how it should be. I am so annoyed with all the drama that surrounds everyone, when most of it is really unnecessary!

Happy New Year!!

Social Networking

2009-06-25T16:10:00.000-06:00

I have spent the last week or so learning much more about social networking and how it can really promote business. I have thought of so many ways that it could truly help the not-for-profit world to be more engaged with our constituencies.

This has made me also think about what it is that I really want to communicate in this blog. I mean, I know I want to be a development/marketing/volunteer engagement specialist, but how do I market that, and - sigh - I think I have to start a "new" blog to really do that effectively. My hope is to demonstrate that I am indeed a thought leader on philanthropy, as well as social networking.

As I just mentioned, I LOVE social networking - and if it is something you want to learn more about, visit http://www.inboundmarketing.com/ and sign up for the Inbound Marketing University the next time it is offered (August, I believe). I think you'll walk away equally excited, but hopefully you'll have a starting point....

In the meantime, I will be researching and brainstorming some good content, and this blog will continue to be a place for my promised "random musings"

Houston, we have connection!

2009-05-06T20:08:00.000-06:00

So, after about one week without TV, I am happy to say that we are back on! It was a bit of an adventure making sure someone would be at home to meet the DirectTV guy, but my mother (if she were on-line, I would let her see how I am singing her praises) stepped up and waited for him.

It turns out that all of our switches shorted out or something. It had nothing to do with the dish itself. That was a good feeling - it wasn't my scraping off the snow that did any more damage. It still was a challenge to be without the tv all week!

The positive - we definitely slept better without any of the annoying light from the TV, and I think we will keep it off overnight as much as possible, and invest in an ipod compatible alarm clock instead.

Now, it's pretty much NHL and NBA playoffs in our house! Hooray!

Off the grid, as much as I can handle

2009-04-27T21:49:00.000-06:00

We had a tiny little snow storm here in Henderson, CO today. When I say tiny, it really just rained a lot and then we had a little snow. It's all gone now, and the back yard is a bit muddy. OK, a lot muddy.

I had spent some time downstairs on the sofa last night because Tally, our older dog, for some reason likes to sleep there with me. We went downstairs around midnight, and came up to the master bedroom at 3:30. My husband had fallen asleep to the Military Channel, so I left it on, turning down the volume a bit, and falling fast asleep myself.

When we woke up at 5:00. there was no TV at all. At all. Searching for Satellite. And searching, and searching, and searching. I called DirectTV, and they said there must be heavy wet snow on the dish. I went outside, and indeed there was a tiny little bit of snow on the dish. I got out the broom, cleaned it of, ever-so-delicately, and went back to bed. No TV.

By 10:00 I was dying from the immense quiet in the house, not to mention the fact that I missed both the early show and Rachael Ray in the background as I worked. I called DirectTV again, and they couldn't help. We set up a service call - I am thinking for Tuesday or something. Try the 6th of May - that's the Wednesday after NEXT Tuesday. Really. 10 days without TV.

Now, this sounds like a very long post about how much of a wired person I am, and that I must have my TV. I am really not that petty. I love our TV service for the satellite radio we get - I usually have that on in the background after 10:00 am. I also am a total news junkie. Not having access to it is a challenge. Reading cnn.com isn't quite the same. Finally, it is NHL and NBA playoff time, and both the Nuggests and the Ducks are on! Finally, there is my husband. He likes TV as background noise.

Plain and simple. 10 days without TV is going to be a challenge, and I am guessing, I may actually get a few needle craft projects complete....there's a HUGE blanket waiting to be finished!

Butterflies!

2009-04-27T21:25:00.000-06:00

So, I said I would keep this blog going...but it seems to fall by the wayside WAY too much! So this week I will attempt to catch up on everything!

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of visiting the Butterfly Pavilion in Westminster. In the interest of full disclosure, I have to admit I am a finalist for a position there, and wanted to check out the place in a little more depth. The Pavilion was the first butterfly habitat in the US, and I guess there are now two or three across the country.

I was a bit unsure when I went in. I mean, how cool can this place actually be? I mean butterflies are just that. I tried to choose a day when there would not be ten zillion kids in the place, Spring Break. The problem is, there is no one homogeneous Spring Break in Colorado. Therefore, there are always a bunch of kids there.

Normally, this might cause me to have a bit of a panic attack, but they were pretty cool, and the Butterfly Pavilion was even more so! You walk in and there are some sketchy creepy-crawly things like Scorpions (I had a hard time even typing that word!), cockroaches and the like. Then you can go a few directions. The best of course, is the rainforestesque experience of the butterfly habitat.

From the outside it looks tiny. I mean TINY. But when you go in, there are so many cool butterflies! I never take photos (as evidenced by this text-laden blog), but I had to go back out to my car and grab my camera just to grab some photos.

This is just one of many photos I took. OK - for me it was many - it's only about 20! To check out all of them, visit my flickr page.

The Butterfly Pavilion is pretty cool. If you are in the Colorado area, I strongly recommend a visit. There's a lot more than just the butterflies - they have some groovy sea creatures - a bit strange for a land-locked person like me, but I did actually touch a starfish, which is a huge accomplishment for me!

This summer I am hoping to take a trip to some other Colorado treasures I haven't seen or maybe haven't visited in forever including the Denver Mint, Fort Vasquez, The Capital Dome and the Museum of Contemporary Art!

Bustin' Up the Cotton Stash

2009-03-30T10:10:00.000-06:00

I finished a nice "Friendship Scarf" this weekend -finally. It's a cotton piece, in a cool 18 row pattern repeat that has traveled across the country to four other knitters. Hopefully mine should be coming back to me in the next few weeks.

Last night, as I put away all of my cotton dishcloth yarn, I was simply aghast (yes, aghast) at the incredible number of full and partial skeins of cotton yarn I had - in a ton of colors I probably won't ever need. I have amassed a huge Peaches & Creme and Sugar 'n Cream collection over the last two years of dishcloth swaps. I also have about 100 dishcloths I have received in said swaps. Please note, my husband refuses to even use dishcloths. So now what to do with all of this yarn (the photo above is AFTER I used a bunch of the cotton!).

Bob had been to the knitting room, which is a total mess right now, earlier in the day, and was quite surprised, but probably not aghast at how much yarn I had. When I mentioned that I wanted to do something with the cotton, he suggested pitching it. Uh - no. I don't ever pitch yarn. And, I really am trying not to buy a lot of yarn until after I use most of what I already have.

The Easter Bunny Vintage Vertical Stripe Afghan's Humble Beginnings

Thus the Easter Bunny Vintage Vertical Stripe Afghan was born. There's not much to it - I simply took my cotton yarn and started crocheting in DC. I figure crochet is fast and will use up more yarn. Seeing as I have mostly bright variegated colors, it's going to be a very ugly blanket, but that's OK. It works up super fast, and I have probably gone through a third of my stash already! At only $1 a skein, it's also going to be cheap to add on to the blanket in the event I don't have enough to make it proportional.

Up Close and Personal with the Easter Bunny VVS Afghan

So hopefully I will be able to bust through the uncounted number of skeins and by mid-April have more room in my knitting room for my sock yarn, as well as the feeling of being somewhat more organized!

Telling my UFOs to FO!

2009-03-15T19:12:00.000-06:00

There is nothing more annoying to me than having a bunch of UnFinished Objects sitting around. Sometimes they are "taking up" needles that I need, other times I just want to see it all finished.

This week has became a "project" week. On Monday, I went to a meeting for my running group, and saw everyone wearing nice sweaters. Well, maybe not everyone, but there were several nice sweaters in the crowd, and a few looked like they could be homemade.

On Wednesday, I dug through a wicker basket in our bedroom, and pulled out my "Denim Sweater," which I made with my Bond "Incredible Sweater Machine" on about 2004 - maybe even earlier!

Over the course of my lunch hour, as well as a conference call, I was able to seam and weave in all the ends on this beautiful creation. After more than five years, I finally had my Denim Sweater!

Once that was finished, it was on to another project - my Vanna's Striped Afghan. I started this back in August of 2008, and then got caught up with socks and some holiday gifts. It sat in my messy knitting room in a Vera Bradley backpack, waiting to be finished.

I loved this pattern from the start - very basic - a moss stitch border, great colors in the middle, and an endless repeat of knitting and purling. It was perfect for working on in front of the TV - no real pattern to keep track of, and so within 5 days, I was able to take it from 55 to 100% complete.

The blanket adds a nice punch of color to our neutral living room, and the Vanna's Choice is a very easy-care yarn.

Our nine month old puppy Veruca immediately took to the blanket!

Now that these two major projects are complete, I was able to finish one more friendship scarf, and buy the yarn for a new jacket I am doing in a crochet-along. I don't have much work travel upcoming, so I think I'll be able to limit those UFOs to a few pair of socks, and maybe a sweater I frogged a while ago!

SOAP!

2009-03-15T18:55:00.000-06:00

So, my newest experiment in crafting is soap making. I have thought long and hard about all the crap I am going to need to make soap - and decided to go with the melt and pour method. With my laziness for following recipes and a pair of dogs that get into everything, it's just not best to even try to deal with lye and other caustic agents. There are so many easy-to-use soap bases out there, that the appeal of soap making was too much to resist.

My first batch was a simple cucumber melon "botanical"soap with apricot seed. My husband took to it immediately, and is my official "tester" for any future batches.

My next batch will be pink grapefruit, a request from my friend Melissa, and maybe a nice vanilla with olive oil. I don't foresee this being more than just another craft, but it will add a little something to holiday gifts and swaps.

Still no running

2009-03-04T16:14:00.001-07:00

I am a bit sorry to admit that we are now more than 60 days into the year, and I still have only run three times. I find it a little pathetic, really. There just has not been a lot of running joy coursing through my veins.

Not to say I am not active, or even fit. I think I am. I just have not been running. In fact, the last run, minus the stair climb, was back in January on the beach in southern California. Sigh.

The biggest consequence of this is that training for Fast Forward Sports starts in, oh, 10 days, and I am coaching! I am experiencing a lot of "do as I say, not as I do," remorse right now, and yet, I am not going running tonight. I am instead going to my super mean No Limits Circuit class. It gets me in great shape, and I don't have to deal with the wind storm outside. Excuse, probably. I'll have to start this running thing soon enough.

I did swim last night. I got in the pool with Bob for a standard workout - a little under a mile, probably. I was tired before I started, as well as during and after the workout, but it was totally worth it.

When I am swimming I don't think a lot about swimming - except when I have to count strokes and the like. In fact, I wrote my blog entry in the water. Too bad it stayed there, I think it was a really good one - much more interesting than this! Two lanes over from me there was a swimmer who made it look so easy. I have to keep telling myself that just because I grew up swimming does not mean that I can just dive in the pool and swim miles now. I'll give myself a little time for that. However, always being a little competetive, I kept thinking I could swim as well as he does. I can't - right now, but check back in a few weeks. I aspire to just dive in a few days a week and whip out 2000 meters.

Now it's off to the circuit class!

Happy Birthday to FLU - random thoughts, as promised

2009-03-03T16:51:00.000-07:00

Last Friday was supposed to be a fun day. Birthday, to be exact. Unfortunately, I spent the entire day in bed with a wicked virus. Thankfully, it was short lived, but I am still recovering a bit mentally - the foods I ate the day prior are on the banned list right now...

It actually was a good day, in spite of the fever and fatigue. The dogs stayed in bed with me ALL day, and I was able to just relax. They started getting antsy sbout 3:30, and really wanted to go for a walk. Thankfully, two neighbor girls, Sommer and Madison came by to walk my dogs at about 4:15. They took Ruki and Tally for nearly two hours! They made more money ($10) than they ever thought they would get walking dogs, and I got piece and quiet!

I did get to spend some time on the phone with friends and family, something that I neglect a bit now, as I am on the phone for work all the time (in 5 minutes I have a call). My spirits were definitely lifted, and I think I'll try and be a bit more proactive in reaching out to folks (along with that new years resolution to write one hand-written letter a month).

The whole Facebook thing is still makes me laugh. I received birthday wishes from so many people with whom I haven't spoken in literally two decades. Granted, it's not as though we are best friends now that we are linked on Facebook, but it was a little sociological experiment of sorts. I think I need to act a bit more and actually reach out to folks and get together! I guess it's time to get back out of my shell and try to be more social!

Climbing 1,098 Stairs for Fun?

2009-02-25T20:37:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday I Ran the Republic - the Republic Plaza building here in Denver. It is supposedly Denver's tallest building, and we ran from the sub-basement to the 53rd floor - 56 floors total, and 1,098 stairs.

Republic Plaza, Denver (yes, we ran up 56 flights!)

I was roped into this by my friend Irene. I have dragged her through long runs in marathon training, so being co-dependant, I agreed to do this stair climb. For the record, I have run more than 31 miles getting folks across the finish line on a very cold and wet Denver Marathon day, sprinted 5Ks and done just about everything in between, but nothing compared to this event. I have never felt a burn in my lungs as I did Sunday - even when I was exposed to tear gas after the CU/CSU football game at the old Mile High Stadium in the late 90's.

Team Let's Get High

(that's me on the left in the skirt)

If this is how someone with lung cancer or COPD feels, then I am all the more thankful I am healthy. I have asthma, but that has always meant I can't breathe after a run. or whatever. I have never really felt a burn as this.

That said, I will totally do this again next year! The team was great - we waited at the finish line until everyone made it up! I did surprisingly well, too - 50th of all the women, 15th in my age group, and I really didn't train for the event. Look for me to drop a minute off my time next year!

The View From the Top!

The overall goal of the event is to raise $300,000 for the American Lung Association. I have a personal goal of raising at least $300 ($500 is my stretch goal), so here I place my shameless plug for donations: please visit my fundraising site and possibly throw me a bone of a donation! If I can get 20 folks to give $10 each, I would hit that $300 goal, as I already have $100. Thanks in advance!

A new attempt at blogging

2009-02-25T20:30:00.000-07:00

This is my second attempt at blogging. As I noted in my summary, my life is pretty boring, but I thought it might be a nice way for some of my friends to keep up with me, as I just haven't had the time to reach out to them.

Another thing that drew me back to my blog was hearing that one of our Bike MS riders raised thousands of dollars for the National MS Society through her knitting blog. I thought that was pretty cool, so I checked out her site, which is pretty nice. I guess I am aspiring to be a bit like Claudia!

I don't know if I'll have any cool gimmick - like photos (maybe of the dogs, as my husband and I don't do a lot of photos), but hopefully I'll get the hang of this blogging thing soon enough.

Dye your own what??

2008-05-31T22:12:00.000-06:00

Some how, I got a wild hair the other night that I could kool-aid dye my own yarn. When I will have the time and energy to do this, I really don't know, but I went ahead and ordered 3 hanks of "Dye your own sock yarn" from Knit Picks. It was such a steal, and I got a new set of DPNs, all for under $30. Where else can you get sock yarn for $5.99 a hank?

So, maybe next week, while my husband is traveling, I will go ahead and try the kool-aid dye on one of the hanks. It doesn't look that hard, and compared to some of the sock yarn I have been working with, it will at least be ALL of the colors I like, ideally! Most likely, however, the yarn will sit until some winter day when we are in the midst of a snowstorm and I am bored out of my mind. We'll see - I am a crafter who is a lot of talk and a lot less action.

Meanwhile, I am looking for patterns for a BBQ swap I am involved with. We are supposed to send something homemade that can be used to BBQ. I think I'll make a set of placemats and maybe some napkin rings and dishcloths. We also get to send BBQ paraphernalia, and I found a great new product at Compleat Gourmet - my favorite store. There are these amazing cedar wraps for food. They looked pretty cool to try out. I have a feeling spending an hour at Compleat, I won't have a problem finding a lot of great stuff for my swappee!

Also pending are the Monthly Dishcloth Swappers and a Bookmark Swap (I don't know what I was thinking when I signed up for that - I am hoping I have the patience to do a pair of bookmarks for someone!). A pair of Noro socks are calling - for my Mom, and of course my Supersocke.....

Socks, socks and more socks

2008-05-30T12:45:00.000-06:00

Well, I just finished the "noro nightmare" socks for my mom. They were not that bad, but at times I really thought I was knitting with thread, rather than sock yarn. She does love the colors. and when I tried them on, they were pretty comfy, and very warm. This should work well for a woman who wears turtlenecks with sweatshirts in the summer!

Now I am doing a tiny bit of stash busting. I have a new skein of Supersocke hiking that I really want to work up, but I decided to take care of my old, somewhat ugly Lion Brand Magic Stripes and make a pair of socks. They work on size 3 needles, so the first sock is coming right along.

I signed up for a few swaps this month. My usual Monthly Dishcloth Swappers, as well as the Knit and Crochet Dishcloth swap. Those are super easy swaps. I have ventured into a bookmark swap - I figure I can use up some of the crocet cotton and thread I have, as well as some tail ends of sock yarn. I have also signed up for a BBQ swap, which sounds fun. I am looking forward to making placemats for my swapee, who should be assigned by Sunday. I figure these projects should keep me busy throught my travels back and forth to the Indiainapolis State Chapter.

I still look at the stash and know I have to do something. I think a vertical stripe afghan will be the solution. It works up quickly and it's probably going to have a lot of orange and brown in it - maybe I'll send it to my friend Mary, who specifically requested those colors for her adorable daughter Gracie! :-)

Stash Realization

2008-05-15T10:19:00.000-06:00

It's pretty easy to say that I like to buy yarn. I nearly always have a project in mind for the yarn that a buy, but my stash clearly gets ahead of my project list.

Last night I was sitting in my "knitting room," which is our guest bedroom. I like to go in there and read, and the dogs often come and sleep as well. Even my husband came up last night - and for the first time ever, the entire family relaxed in the least-used room in the house.

While Bob dozed off, I looked at my stash. When I first put it "on display," it was to help me use more of it. It looked like a mini-LYS with colors, and different yarn weights. Now it looks like I have a bit of an addiction. Yes, that big bag on the right is a whole lot of yarn I bought off Craig's List for $5 that I haven't even really looked at yet.

Wow. What a realization. I have got to do something about all of this. So, with a cute little pair of Noro socks for my mother on my needles, as well as a awesome lime green sweater for myself, I simply have to start some big needle/hook projects!

Over the summer, I plan on making simple projects, intermixed with my fun socks, sweaters and dishcloths. Some for charity, and some for housewarming/holiday gifts. I also plan to actually account for my stash on Ravelry (ugh), so I have a little better idea of what I am facing, much like one does when in debt. Acceptance is the first step to recovery, right?

So, after I pick up a bunch more yarn I got on CL ($30 for 6 CONES of Instant Fair Isle -what a steal!!!), I have to do something!