Popcorn, Peanuts, and 4H Fair Info...

Well, it has been a LONG, LONG, week / weekend.. Filled with 6am to 10pm days!!!

Here are the results first, then the details -

Bree and Tessa did AWESOME!! She had 3 classes on Saturday -
Halter - Blue Ribbon,
Showmanship - Blue Ribbon and Grand Champion and she won this very neat "Director's Chair" embroidered on the back rest with the class name and all!
Trail Class - Red Ribbon

On Sunday, she rode in 9 classes -
Western Pleasure - Blue Ribbon
Western Horsemanship - Blue Ribbon
Western Riding - Blue Ribbon and Reserve Grand Champion
Working Pattern - Blue Ribbon.

Then to the games...
Barrels - Blue Ribbon and Reserve Grand Champion
Pole Bending - Blue Ribbon and Reserve Grand Champion
Keyhole (her favorite event) - Blue Ribbon and Grand Champion and she won this neat embroidered duffel bag
Plug Race - Blue Ribbon and Grand Champion and she won this neat embroidered Tote Bag
Flag Race - Blue Ribbon and Grand Champion and she won this neat Grooming Tote filled with a bunch of great horse supplies!

Then at the close of 4H they do the "overall" awards and Bree won HIGHPOINT Games horse in her age division - which at the 4H Achievement Awards night this fall she will receive another Belt Buckle.... She was thrilled..

Mom and I took pictures on Mom's camera which she didn't bring her memory card reader - so no pictures until next week...

The week leading into the fair was crazy as Tessa decided to bang up her knee to the point of being quite swollen which ended up both swelling "up" above her knee to her forearm and also "down" her leg - so, we were doctoring her 2x daily from Monday to Thursday HOPING it would be well for the fair - (obviously, we did ok - LOL) - So, Bree didn't get to practice riding until Friday (day before fair started). Considering this, it was amazing how well she did!

The weather was a ton better and nicer than the past 2 years. (2 years ago temps were around 100 and last year around 95) making it a great deal more healthy for both humans and animals!

Mom was tickled as she has never seen Bree "compete" for real - and even though she sees pictures and gets the play by play after the fact from Bree, seeing it in person lends an entirely different perspective.

We're r&r'ing it today and trying to put some organization back to all the supplies, clothes, etc.. that we used for the fair as the stuff is just everywhere!

Bree has set up her Director's Chair in the Familyroom, it's like she has her own "movie" chair watching tv - ha! Now, that I'll have to get pics of!

I have OVERCOME..

The sweet smell of victory is wafting in the air in the house.. It is the wonderful aroma of a FINISHED Jaywalker sock...

Yes, Dr Kate was correct - obsessive or compulsive - you choose has driven me to finish this wild beast that has been knocking at my door for weeks now..

But, alas, victory is ALL mine.. I will take pictures and I'm going to savor this moment and celebrate - too bad I don't have champagne - otherwise I'd be breaking it out!

The 2nd sock should follow here shortly -

I have also completed the knitting of my Sheep Tote, the pockets are sewn and all that is left is felting!

I can walk NON-straight lines.. now...

Somehow, Someway, SOME ONE has flipped on the light switch for me.. Jaywalkers now completely make sense... I just don't get this..

I FORCED myself (which was NOT an easy thing to do) last night with Miss Sarah and the knitting get together to work on them - I FINISHED the body of the sock and had ONE row of the heel flap completed before I left for home..

Got home and to my COMPLETE surprise, I did NOT want to put them down... Why is that you ask - I have NO clue what so ever!

So, I had to spend a couple of hours up last night in the wee hours of the morning calming down the old beagle dog (he is horribly frightened by storms) - so I figured what the hay - pulled them out and went to town..

I completed the heel flap and turned the heel correctly (ON THE FIRST TRY - which being only the 2nd time I did this and the issues I had on the first one - this is a coup!)

Then, I read the directions for the next step which is knit across and pick up 16 stitches down the side.. Ok, I get that - makes total sense... EXCEPT... That I have 19 slipped stitches from the turn - if I ONLY pick up the 16 I'm going to have a "holey" (and not a church going holy) sock.. If i pick up ALL 19 - then I'm assuming that I have to do additional decreases at some point and not sure with this whole pattern thingie how exactly that would work...

So, I sent an email to Miss Sarah - and I told her to answer it QUICKLY as I don't want to stop, I have great momentum and and and..

But alas, I am waiting - I think I'll go work on Bree's footie socks I've started! heeeeeee

It's supposed to be storming here again shortly - my weather radar (the old beagle) is telling me so.. So, it will be an awesome moring to sip my coffee and knit!

Go Florida State Seminoles...

...Picture the stands full of people humming the "hmmm, hmmm hm-hm-hm" - the Seminole chant and seeing all those arms doing the Tomahawk chop then cut to a guy on a couch...

And you'll see this during football season:



This is a picture of my hubby (Bill or "The Big Nasty as Paige calls him) modeling his newly completed Florida State team spirit wear! They're made from Nature's Spun 100% Wool - will be warm! (And yes, he fully understands that they are NOT machine washable and has been threatened NOT to do so within an inch of his life)

I used 1 and a tad more of a 2nd skein of the Burgundy and not even half a skein of the Gold. Skeins are $6.25 each - so, not a bad price for a pair of socks! I used size 3 circs and they are a nice dense weight. They really are even in length - he just had the cuff bunched up on the one leg.

I started out following a basic boot sock pattern and Miss Sarah suggested that I do an afterthought heel since I wanted it in the contrasting color! And, Miss Sarah is not one to lead us sheep astray - and I just LOVE it... It was quite easy to do and I kind of like the look and Bill says it fits just right! Here's a picture of the heel:



I did make one sock 4 stitches bigger (and darned a small piece of the gold yarn on the inside cuff to tell the difference) as Bill seriously damaged one ankle (has pins, plates, screws in it) so, I needed to compensate for that!

He LOVES them and I think I have enough of both colors left to make him a matching hat - it won't be "double knitted" like his ND hat - but, it'll still be nice and toasty!

I'm sure during football season, he'll also be wearing his Notre Dame stocking hat, heee - I PROMISE to get pictures when he's wearing both..

So, I'm pretty excited, my 2nd pair of socks finished! (and the size of these - both feet and heighth should count as a complete other pair!)

On a side note: I'm still struggling and hating more and more those dang Jaywalkers! Maybe its because I'm such a "stay within the lines person" that "jaywalking" isn't computing in my brain - who knows... I will overcome though - maybe --- stay tuned....

Confessions of an Adult..

Ok, I'll be the first one to step forward... I am addicted to Webkinz. I love my Webkinz Siberian Husky named Suki.... (I don't think they've created a 12 step program for this addiction ... yet!)



http://www.webkinz.com is a site created for kids (ha, ha) that is better than microsoft could ever come up with. It is a safe, secure, creative, fun, learning, enjoyable site for kids (adults) to visit.

A little history.. Bree received her first two webkinz (Lil Kinz - think kitty instead of cat or puppy instead of dog - there are both Lil Kinz and Regular Kinz) for her birthday. Most of her friends had them and she got 2 as birthday presents - Ruby a cocker spaniel and Diamond a brown horse - So, in webkinz world you have to feed, care, etc.. you get a "house" with rooms (you purchase more rooms) and you have things you can do to earn money (kinzcash) - you can go to the employment office and do a job, play games (they have MAHJONG!!!!) and many, many other options... As you earn kinzcash, you have to buy food, clothing, furniture etc.. (you can send gifts to your friends too!)

Now, at Easter, we got my Mom one - She got Plato (a "google" - think Platopus) - and so Bree and my Mom could visit, play games online and send each other notes, gifts and the like..

Well, thru various things - Bree has NOW worked her way up to TEN (yes, 10) webkinzs - All of her girls are named after gemstones/jewels and her boys are named after pro football players

She has: Ruby - Cocker, Diamond - Brown Horse, Opal - Bunny, Ameythst - Pink Pony, Topaz - Tiger, Emerald - Choc Lab, Pearl - A pig (just got after the piggie transport), Romo - Basset Hound, Peyton - Frog, and I'm missing one (shame on me) -

So, throughout this year, she's asked me from time to time to help her "build" up her kinzcash so she could buy things - then my Mom did the same - I got so used to playing the games (solitaire, mahjong, and others) - that I decided it was time (after getting them up to 37,000 and 42,000 kinzcash) - that I got my OWN webkinz... So I got SUKI...

They have trading cards with free prizes, and you get a sweet little plush, stuffed animal with your purchase - (Ganz is the mfg) -

The site is completely interactive - for example, when you buy food, you can put it in your refrigerator, your pets ACTUALLY use the toilet, the bath tub requires you to use bubble bath, shampoo and you have to rinse off your pet. The grill actually cooks, your pets run on a treadmill, or jump on a trampoline or swim in a pool (all items you purchase) - OR, you can plant, maintain and grow a garden by which the food you grow can be eaten by your pet(s)... It is TRULY an amazing site (have I said that yet?)

They also have a "Quizzy's" corner with questions you answer each day of facts and Bree has learned many tidbits of "useful" information!

So, now, I'm sitting with a low 3,000 kinzcash and have to go play mahjong to build it up to buy neat stuff...

I encourage anyone with kids, nieces, nephews, grandkids, friends with kids to take the "tour" on the site listed below - it is the best $12.99 I think I've ever spent!!!

The Day of Pigs...

Yesterday was an interesting day... Bree and I went to meet my friend, Paige in Springfield, IL for a couple of reasons... First, to go to the horse trainers to pick up her horse, to hand off a saddle pad that Paige picked up for Bree, to have lunch, hang out and of course... Hand off 6 week old mini pot belly pigs that a breeder had down by her that several gals up North here wanted. They are about 2+lbs each - just bigger than an 8 week old puppy - but, they are like little "barrels"

Paige was keeping one of them for herself (see Paige's blog) and Bree and I were transporting 7 of the little things back here...

What a day.. We have NEW appreciation for the words "fast as a greased pig" and "STUCK LIKE A PIG" - Oh my goodness, they are fast little suckers (trying to catch them was like a "who's on first" comedy routine) AND once you do catch them I swear people 10 counties over could hear them YELL and YELL and YELL!!!

So, we transfer them into my 2 carriers - one is a larger dog carrier - we put 4 in there so not to "crowd" them and the other 3 in a container with a "flip" lid.. It was hot, hot, hot yesterday so we put one container on EACH side of Bree in the back seat and got the truck cooled down so they wouldn't get heat sick...

Well, the piggles like to climb on top of each other and look to escape every chance they get - so Bree basically had to ride the 2-1/2 hours with her little arms stretched over the top of the flip container to keep the 3 from escaping..

Now Paige told me the info from the breeder (that piggles have no body temp regulator - they can get overheated and overchilled without them even knowing it) - and I take my duties of being the transporting of piggles quite seriously! The gals from up North were going to be picking up said piggles from our house after 5pm.. I felt sorry for the little ones being handed off 3 times in one day - So, I called home to hubby as we were on our way back and asked him to:

Go get the bunny playpen and set it up in the garage and reinforce the bottom (because these little piggles can push HARD to escape) with landscape bricks and that we would be sure they couldn't escape (as it would be weeks to catch one since they are so dang fast) and he said he would have it ready for us..

We arrive home and he takes one container and I take the other and we enter the garage and I have Bree close the door JUST IN CASE one should escape during transfer to the playpen...

He gets a "lesson" in HOW loud pigs SCREAM - now in yuppyville, IL I was prepared for the neighbors to either a) call the police as they thought someone was being murdered from the blood curdling screams or b) that I'd have animal control at my house within the hour from reports of animal sacrifice...

Bill (hubby) or "The Big Nasty" as Paige has taken to calling him was frightened by their screams (I am CERTAIN he will have nightmares). The transfer is completed with no escapes! But they put up a fuss and got ALL worked up!

I was SO worried that they were overheated - so, I had to hook up a fan to blow on them, then I got SO worried that the fan would dehydrate them, so spritzed them with some water - then I got SO worried that they'd get chilled from the fan - so, I called Paige.

She said pick one up and cuddle (it looked like it was shaking) - Oh my gawd, I swear, that you could HEAR him 10 miles away - he did NOT like being held by me, I really did try to cuddle him, but he was not having ANY of it!

Well, by this point the humidity was about 90% and I was as dripping wet as they were - and I was still worried, so I pulled a chair out and my knitting (you didn't think I would miss connecting knitting to this post, did you?) and kept an eye on my responsibilities (all 7 of them) until the gals arrived

The gals arrived around 6:30pm and the process of catch and scream started ALL over again... After the piggles were on the road one leg closer to their destination homes, I finally relaxed..

Bree was such a HUGE help and good sport and knowing that we couldn't keep a piggle.. She was given a cute, girl, pink piggie all of her own...

Meet Pearl..

She doesn't scream, poop, require to be let out, nor run away...

Here are some adorable pics of my friend Paige and her hubby with their new bundle of joy... Meet "X" (they have YET to name him - poor little boy is going to have an identity crisis) - I suggested "Zucco" as in Danny Zucco as in "fast as a GREASED pig" - hahaha - If you have name suggestions, hop over to Paige's blog and leave her a comment (link is on my blog) -

Cruising Along...

Welp, I have finished Bill's socks save the "Afterthought" heel and hopefully, Miss Sarah will be back in time to show me how to do that on Sunday! Yay! When that's done I'll post pictures..

So, in the meantime, I've moved on to the Sheep Tote (doing with 2 strands of Cascade Quatro and a Cascade 220) - and the pattern calls for 24" circs - well, unless you're doing it in a fingering weight it is tighter than I can even knit (and all will agree I knit TIGHT) - so, yesterday went to Peggy's in Plainfield and picked me up a 32" and all is well and I have the bottom finished and 10 rows out of 64 of the sides! It's an "easy" knit too which is nice!

I also while at Peggy's picked up my Addi's in size 1 to switch the Jaywalkers too - so, when I have a "quiet" moment, I will be doing that - I just don't know in my little pea of a brain WHY these Jaywalkers are causing me so much trouble - EVERYONE says how they are so easy to knit - well, not for me... I don't know why.. But, they are certainly on my "look cute, but HATE to knit" list!

But, I WILL (battle of the wills) get them DONE, DONE, DONE!

Then I will start the Koigu ones and a secret project for a good friend... She'll love it I'm sure - It's not horse related, but, it will be SO ugly it'll be pretty - I think based on that statement she'll know WHOM I'm speaking of...

We haven't been out to spoil the horses this week, just trying to get organized and situated and the holiday in the middle of the week really has us "thrown out of whack". I'm filling Bree's little pool up right now so it can warm up some before she jumps in - but, heck she doesn't care whatsoever - that kid can handle cold like a bathtub full of ice - brrrrr - it's supposed to be 90 here today so it might actually feel good....

And, tomorrow, I'm transporting probably 6 2lb baby pot bellied pigs from Springfield up to my house (meeting my friend Paige in Springfield who's picking them up from the breeder) and a bunch of horsey people up this way will be here tomorrow night to pick them up - This should be absolutely HYSTERICAL - considering the yuppy scumville neighbors I have - they'll hear those babies SQUEAL and think Oh geez, what have the rednecks next door brought home now? Sadly, they'll probably be here less than 4 hours.. It'd be fun to mess with their minds for the weekend.. hehehehe

Here's the one that I think Paige is getting.. Isn't he ADORABLE?

She's looking for "bad-ass" names for the little guy - and right now is liking Hercules - anyone else have ideas - you can post comment here or on her blog http://www.strawnequine.blogspot.com/

Home Sweet Home...

Ahhhh, it feels so good to be home and to sleep in our own beds... Our trip home was uneventful (just the way you like it with trailers invovled) and I even was able to knit a little bit during the drive - not NEARLY as much as I would have liked but got my fix in!!!

The animals (for the most part) were good except I guess Bailee (Goldendoodle) got TIRED of us being gone on Saturday (our coming home day) and decided to take matters into her own MOUTH... bad, bad dog... (We talked to the house sitter Thursday night and she was being an ANGEL - well, we jinxed that) Let's see - one doggie pillow - DEAD, one door mat - DEAD, one OLD (thankfully her new ones were with us) lime green cowboy boot - DEAD, one sock (she escaped upstairs - how, we have no clue) - DEAD, one Breyer water bucket - DEAD, and a few other miscellaneous little do hickeys - ALL in the LAST day... Silly dog - (I'm trying to justify that she is JUST a year old - Bill ain't buying that)

Yesterday we unpacked and had to go to the barn to unload the trailer - so all done! I did have a surprise in my email though - the professional photographer EMAILS you proofs of the pics for "web use" - well, I guess this is "web use" - so I'm posting them here - I just love the picture of Bree!





My plans are to be at knitting Tuesday night if I can remember how to get there (ha,ha) - just feels like I've been gone SO long!

I need to mail out Jen's swift too! I promised!!!!

So, off to finish putting things up and I might kick back this afternoon and knit! A nice R&R day is in order!