good dog :)

so I had to remind myself that the dog obedience thing doesn't just maintain itself...she needed some kudos for good behavior too. I mean, just like with kids, the good behavior is often overlooked b/c it doesn't attract attention. Kids (and dogs) do "bad" things and get negative attention. Any attention -including negative- is better than nothing.

We did some of the tricks she knows & I gave her positive reinforcement.

At dinner she was near perfect. Madst did drop some chicken on the floor purposefully - what she thought was on the sly. She forgot that I'm mom & I see all/ hear all/ know all. I explained how that was encouraging Cody to misbehave (snarf food off the floor instead of lying down until dinner is over).

As a reward we went for a decent walk. Cody was stoked.

We'll try that again tomorrow.

bad dog :(

So I walked upstairs to find the zip bag of leftover turkey on the floor. The guilty party was busted slunking away, tail b/t her legs. There is a missing drumstick -literally! I can't find the evidence. I hope I can find it b4 I smell it...grrrrrrr. I had to chuck the remaining leftovers. Only the babies had turkey sandwiches out of all of us. Double grrrrrr. Well, no more people food for this little dog. She has been banish-ed.

Hmmmm, guess we can't call her Noo Noo anymore. And dog obedience is added to the list of things to do.

Then there's the super sensitive Madster who doesn't understand why Cody was being reprimanded so harshly. She started crying, saying that we're mean & we shouldn't have pets. Cody, on the other hand, knew perfectly well she was wrong & wouldn't even make eye contact. So now Madst & babies are downstairs consoling & self-esteem boosting the bad dog. Cody knows she's got it good w/ that crowd.

I am loved!

and missed! Two of my best friends from high school called me on Friday night -from the class reunion. It was great to hear their voices & it made my night. I'm patiently awaiting a rundown of the festivities that I missed out on.

america's sweethearts has-beens

I feel so used. So ripped off. what the hey? I mean here are America's sweethearts. She even saved her virginity for this guy. The big deal wedding. The MTV Nick & Jessica Newlywed Show for crying out loud. All this for what? Chuck it out the window 3 years later? Marriage is work people. WORK. A foreign concept that many couples these days don't or won't get. In this day of instantaneous gratification, who the heck wants to work at something that doesn't necessarily give instantaneous gratification????

okay, after that little rant...anyone feel ripped off when I announced my divorce? I will be the first to admit that I felt ripped off. It was the long term live-in relationship complete w/ 1 sweet, beautiful, perfect daughter. After an inordinate amount of time, we officially tied the knot (having put off the actual ceremony 9 years). Not even two years later, kaput. Digressive relationship on hubby's part was last straw. Not that the relationship was perfect before then. WORK, remember. It takes work. And work we did. Until that fateful summer. Sometimes I think, hot damn, we'd have been together 19 years now. Then I think that some relationships take tooooooooo much work. And it would have been a costly 19 years had we stayed together. Things are definitely better now. I miss having friends in common. Other common interests. That's it, though.

Maybe if we had gone through w/ the ceremony at the outset like we had planned, things would have turned out differently.

But I could "what if" it 'til kingdom come & I'd still be where I am today. Happily involved with a man who is friend, soulmate, confidante, lover, partner. A man who "gets" me. And accepts me w/ all my quirks and foibles. And is willing to do the work together to have a long lasting, fulfilling relationship. Albeit he is a blinder wearing republican. (see, I have to make exceptions for his foibles too) But he's a keeper.

winter 2004

this was my second project. a scarf for maddie. i tried a different stitch and experimented w/ two colors. again, no pattern but a type of stitch to try and a basic pattern that i wanted to replicate. it's lion brand jiffy in peacock & denver. this was a smaller hook. maybe H? i think it was double or half double stitch and chain 4. obviously these first few projects i didn't keep record of instructions & other pertinent details. with this project i became aware of the need to put down the yarn b4 i'm so tired that i'm seeing cross eyed. when i was weaving in ends, i found quite a few threads too short to weave -as in cut almost right down to the garment. i don't recall if i inadvertantly cut them too short or my little helper (maddie, at the time) decided to take it upon herself to cut the ends. i ended up tying knots in hopes of saving all that work. it turned out nicely regardless.

winter 2004 cont.

this is nikki's "wizard" style crocheted scarf. it was my 3rd project and the first project that i actually followed instructions. darn if i can remember the hook size or instruction. can probably find them, though. lamb's pride wool(?) in boulder high's school colors.

fall 2004

this was my first foray back into crochet after a 25 year hiatus.
it was SUPPOSED to be a shawl. i was inspired by a shawl i saw online. i thought i'd quickly crochet myself something green to wear to the france/ireland game in paris last year. i didn't follow a pattern. just measured how wide i wanted it to be and decreased by one on every row. single crochet on a P hook ( i think). the yarn is lion brand homespun plantation(?) you can see that it kept getting longer & longer. i kept buying more & more yarn. needless to say, it wasn't finished quickly. so it turned out to be a slightly odd shaped throw. i stopped b4 it came to a point just to call it done. i now know the importance of checking gauge & some preplanning. decreasing by two would have probably brought it to the right length. using a larger hook would've helped too.

august 2005 cont.

mock rib stitch -co some multiple of 2 plus 1; row 1 p1,k1; row 2 k1,p1. repeat rows 1 & 2 'til desired length. sz 15 circulars (my 1st try w/ circulars). lion brand homespun in creole. i had actually purchased this yarn 4 years ago to re-teach myself to crochet. that didn't happen. but it all worked out ok.

august 2005

my 2nd knitting project. following instructions to a degree. first attempt at purling. co some multiple of 4. k4,p4 for 6 rows or so. then p4,k4 for 6 rows. was supposed to be 4 rows to make a square k,p pattern. i rather liked the rectangle and adjusted accordingly. lion brand landscapes yarn in rose garden. 5 or 6 balls. sz 11 or 13 or 15 straights? it's really soft & comfy.

summer 2005

this is my first knitting attempt. i decided to finally take a class instead of just talking abt it. the class was small -two other women besides myself -at the (unfortunately) soon to close la ti da. the instructer was a young woman -super nice, patient & laid back -tamara? plain old garter stitch on sz 13 straight needles. cast on abt 19 or 20 or 21. a nice wool...have to look for the brand & style. i get alot of compliments on this scarf. it's all stretched out from wearing it all the time