Happy Changes

Out Of The Darkness Scarf Donations

I haven’t felt like posting much lately.  Being pregnant and sick has just wiped me out.  The last three days I have had my MIL over to help out with the kids.  monday and Tuesday being the most intense.  I am always amazed at just how sick I get when I’m pregnant.  It’s probably no worse then what it would be when I’m not pregnant, it just seems to be drawn out a lot longer.  Normally I might fight a cold for a week, get sick for three days and be done with it.  This one though I fought for three weeks and it’s been about a week of hell.  I keep trying to be grateful, at least it’s not as bad as it was with DS’s pregnancy.  I was really sick for months.  Or with DD when I had asthma most of the pregnancy.  This sucks, but at least I can breath, for the most part.  The other night I was thinking about this prenatal yoga video I have and love doing.  She has a part in there that talks about endurance exercises.  It kind of made me laugh because to me, pregnancy is all and endurance exercise.=P  At least I can look at it and laugh.

I have been dealing with some anxiety on top of being sick.  But I realized too that it’s coming up because I’m not eating a lot.  I mean, I am, but it’s not the heavy and huge meals I should be eating.  And I get emotional and stressed when I’m hungry.  I have taken some steps towards becoming assertive in a few of my relationships.  That is always scary to me and I’m trying to not let that fear rule my life.  With what I am learning from ACA (adult children of alcoholics) I’m realizing that these things may be uncomfortable, but if it’s really what is best for me, that’s just what has to happen and I can’t stuff things because I don’t want to make waves.  A scary realization, but it’s a good one.

I’ve also been working on finding a local counselor.  I don’t mind shopping around and comparing things online, but when I have to call someone and talk I get stressed and scared.  I find it humorous that I’m shopping for a counselor right now, but I could really use a counselor to help me through this because it’s so stressful.  Catch 22.  I have been slowly working at finding someone though and have called several people.  I started to make an appointment with one lady the other day, but their computers were down and I was told they would call me back.  I wasn’t feeling very comfortable about it.  The lady I talked to was all work and professional and non-human and she was wanting all my information over the phone.  Trying to pull my social security number out of my head at that point was almost impossible, and you want my general care physician?  What was her name again?  And do you think it matters that I’ve never actually gone to see her myself?  I was so stressed after being on the phone with her I had an anxiety attack and was terrified.  Then DH fed me and I relaxed a bit.  I called another place today that has a counselor there I have already spoken to a few times (just on the phone with questions) and everything just felt so good.  Maybe it was the two breakfasts I’d eaten before I called, maybe it was the friendly lady who answered the phone, or the fact that she didn’t need to know everything about me and my family, or that I knew I was going to be able to see the counselor I really wanted at a closer location then I originally thought.  Whatever it was, it was good and I have an appointment for the beginning of next month.  I’m excited and feel like I can handle things a little better just knowing that I will have someone I trust to talk to soon.  it’s a good feeling.

I haven’t been knitting or crocheting a lot in the last couple of days.  I just haven’t been feeling well and have wanted to rest when I had the chance.  I haven’t gotten a lot of sleep, but rest has been good and just kind of zoning into the abyss of my mind.  Last night I did finish the hand part of another mitten for DS.  All I have to do is add a thumb on that but I am contemplating starting the next mitten and just doing both thumbs when I finish the bigger part.  DH is thrilled about the mittens as he says they are the best thing we have for DS right now.  I’m glad I can be so useful.  I want to get these mittens figured out and finished so that when the yarn I ordered from knitpicks comes I can get started on the mittens for DD.  I hope I ordered enough yarn for her.  She’ll get at least one pair, but I don’t know that she’ll get two.  I also have purse handles that are now waiting for me to do something with them.  If I finish that one purse soon then I can get it up on etsy, which would be nice.  Still trying to decide on a price for it.

Yeah, so that’s what is happening.  I am happy because I am doing things that scare me.  Happy because things are changing.  And happy because I think I’m finally getting over this cold.  All big things for me and it’s really good.

Excitement On the Crafting Front

Maybe not so exciting to everyone else in the world, but I’m thrilled.  I have been “crafting” (the word I decided best describes all my current projects combined) quite a bit lately.  We’ve had a warm spell here and I’m trying to take advantage of it and get some things done.  Like mittens for instance.  I finished the pair I was working on for DS a while back and they work wonderfully.  Before it gets to terribly cold though and he needs them again I want to wash the dirt out of them and then lanolize them to protect them just a little more from all that snow play.  I also started making mittens for DD with the same pattern.  Her’s have taken me a lot longer because I’ve had to alter the pattern quite a bit.  I think I finally figured it out today and got it to a good point when I suddenly got sales notices from Joann Fabric in my email box, so I went looking at yarns.  I talked with DH about it a little because it would be nice to have several pairs of mittens for each kid, not just one.  And after comparing prices and doing some math I found that knitpicks wool of the andies (WotA) is cheaper, prettier and the shipping is half the price of Joann’s.  So I ordered DD some yarn for mittens.  A pretty purple.  And then since I was ordering anyways I got 4 more skeins of WotA to make diaper covers for the new baby with.  I am thrilled!  And I feel like I am getting in way over my head with all the knitting right now.  But it’s good for me too.

I have been working on some crocheted purses too.  I found some beautiful designs that I have been working with that are granny square styles and they are beautiful!  I’ve just used a single color per design because my brain has trouble when it comes to combining colors.  I like they way they look though.  I’ve ordered a set of purse handles on etsy and also some magnetic clasps.  All I have to do is find some lining and get my orders and I can finish the one purse off.  I have plans to put it up on etsy, just to see what happens.  I think it’s pretty.

I still haven’t completely finished the scarfs I was working on for the out of the darkness walk.  I just have to add fringe on two of them and then I’m done.  Those two just seem to keep alluding me when I sit down to do some crafting.  Must get those done and ship them as soon as I can.  Tomorrow would be good since I have other things I need to take to the post office.

I also have siblings with birthdays coming up.  It is possible that they may just get cards, but then maybe I can find something they might like that would be a quick project.  I have to do some ravelry searching.  I have plans for x-mas for everyone, but birthdays are a little beyond me at this point.  If it’s your birthday, and you don’t hear from me, it’s nothing personal.  I’m just trying to raise to kids, keep a house going and grow another baby.  Just a little bit time consuming right now.

I’m hoping to get some energy and do some photo shooting of all my projects soon.  It’s just that whole, kids, pregnancy, house thing that gets me distracted and I tend to neglect my camera and posting pictures.

Star Trek Voyager Round Up

Last night DH and I finished watching Star Trek Voyager.  As far as my favorite series goes, DS9 is still my favorite.  But as far as my favorite endings go, this one was the best.  It deals with temporal displacement and messes with the timeline, which always confuses the snot out of me, but it did it very well.  And I think I have a bit to much Betazoid in me and the empathy I felt for the crew was awesome.  They really wrapped up the season well.  Almost to well.  Now I feel like I’m going to miss watching it, but up until this point, I’ve been pretty excited for the series to end.

I didn’t get attached to the characters the way I did with DS9 and TNG.  I really liked the character development in those to series, but this one didn’t really seem to compare.  Granted, there were some cool characters.  Seven and Kes and The Doctor were all good characters.  Maybe that’s because I really like the actors though.  The rest of the characters I had issues with.  Like they weren’t developed to their full potential.  It was getting to the point where I could predict what would happen with any given character before I even saw what was going to happen.  Granted, Star Trek is like that anyways.  But it did kinda suck.  I had issues with all those episodes where people fell madly in love, but then at the end of the episode they split paths.  That seemed silly.  Had problems with the issues that dealt with things like suicide and depression and then they were fine the rest of the time.  Like that had never happened, when those things change peoples lives quite dramatically in real life.  And come on, they can bring people back from the dead, but they haven’t figured out anything to help someone with clinical depression?  I still have big problems with Kes being kicked so that Harry could stay.  I loved Kes and thought she was an important part of the crew.  Imagion what Seven and Kes could have accomplished together?!  I waited for several seasons for Harry to redeem himself and prove that he was more worthy to be there then Kes, but it never happened.  And then that whole thing with angsty Kes coming back to get revenge was just weird and really sad.

Yeah, so Heidi had problems with the series.  Like them all though I laughed and cried and rolled my eyes and occasionally shouted “Hell Yeah!”  Star Trek is what Star Trek is and I love it for that, but it’s going to be a loooong while before I watch VOY again.  I think we’ll continue working on TOS now.  I have to admit that my favorite part of TOS (besides Spock) is probably the great 60’s music during the introduction.  And who can help but feel those chills when you hear the words, “Space, the final frontier.”  Yes, I’m a geek.  And I love it.:)

Great Intentions

I finally got this… whatever, cold thing that I have been fighting for weeks.  I’m actually a bit relieved as now the worst is over and I feel like I’m on the road to recovery.  I wish it hadn’t taken this long to get and get over, but, at least it’s happening now.

Over the last couple of days I have been having fun on the internet researching all these great things I intend to post about.  Links to awesome tutorials, knitting/crocheting patterns and stuff.  But I just haven’t gotten it together.  I mean, I open up 20 windows and make plans to blog about them in the evening, but it just doesn’t seem to happen.

After Halloween I looked into information about making Klingon costumes, you know, like the good ones?  Found some amazing pages, one of which gives you a full tutorial on how to make a wig with forehead ridges!  It’s so amazing (just about as good as the tutorial I found about making Ferengi face/lobes).  Just awesome.  The guy also gives you a bit of a tutorial on how to make the costume.  Seriously cool stuff.  But, then I’m a bit of a freak, so maybe it’s just cool to me.  While researching Klingon costumes I of course had to check out what people were selling on the market.  It made me gag.  I would possibly by a Starfleet uniform if I wanted something like that, but the Klingons… well, there is just no honor in wearing those dorky things.  Yeah, that’s one I’ll skip… forever.  If your going to dress up like a Klingon, I say really do it and make it honorable.  And while your at it make yourself a Bat’leth to go with it.

I also got really into the idea of crocheting some little gift bags to wrap things in for Christmas.  So I started researching patterns.  I like to knit for a lot of things, but some things just seem easier to crochet.  I like the look of a granny square bag and it’s so easy to make I don’t even have to think.  Eventually I’ll get some patterns up here for you all to enjoy.

Until such a time as I actually have the motivation to get one of these great posts up, I guess I have to just leave you with a teaser of what is to come.  I have hungry and cold kids that just came in, dinner to make and dishes to wash.  Fortunately for me I got a nap and a chiropractor adjustment today, so hopefully these things should take to much time and energy.

Halloween

We had a fun and rather quiet Halloween.  The day seemed to last forever but the kids did really well waiting.  We didn’t do anything really special for the day, which was a little depressing actually.  If it hadn’t been the weekend we would have at least had a normal day of waiting for DH to come home from work, and I might have been a bit more inspired to get into the spirit.  We’re kind of last minute costume people.  Somehow we rarely think about what we’re going to do until like, 5 minutes before we leave the house.  I mean, DH and I do that anyways, and because DS is still young and doesn’t really understand what is going on we waited for him too.  DD wanted to be a ghost, which made costume design easy, but she had a bit of a hard time moving.  She was cute though.  And for DS I found a clown costume that DH’s aunt had given the kids.  He fit in it perfectly.  I wish I had a video of him too cause he was so excited he was jumping around and very clownish.  So cute!

We went over to my in-laws place for a little party.  It’s kinda hard not letting the kids having candy for these holidays.  I grew up trick-or-treating and have fond memories of it, but I can’t let these kids do that.  They’ve never had candy really unless it was the healthy home made kind.  Kinda boring for me, but the kids seem to love it.  And DH grew up this way, so it’s not really anything new for him.  I felt like I had so little energy this year, but fortunately my MIL really gets into the spirit and she made some pumpkin muffins and cookies and some bread cookies got out some snack foods for us.  The kids got to go trick-or-treating around my in-laws house and they thought it was the greatest thing in the world.:)  DH dressed up as a… :/  green man?  LoL  He has green long johns, and after I informed him that Klingons were out of the question this year, he just put some green face paint on and was kinda a swamp monster/green man thing.  He was cute.  My MIL was a fairy, complete with a cute little wand she made, and my FIL was a norwegian skier. LoL, he does come up with some original costumes.  And I decided to just go as a mom.  My creative energy was gone by the end of the day and I really had no desire to get goofy and have pictures taken.  Next year, I’ll come up with something.  It really was a fun evening for everyone.