Alooooha, Good Lookin' Cousins!!

When we went to Hawaii in May, our luau tour guide, Alii, called everyone on our bus that. "Good Lookin' Cousins" as opposed to the ugly ones on the other tour bus!! So, after that, HWFRCA, me and the friends we vacationed with were constantly calling each other Good Lookin' Cousin. It was hilarious!! Probably loses something in the translation here...

So, I haven't posted lately.
Reason #1 is that it's been in the triple digits here with very high humidity and I have no energy or creativity.
Reason #2 is that I have a lot of knitting content to mention but I haven't taken pictures of my FOs or my WIPs.
Reason #2.1 is because I don't want to talk about the knitting without pics and then later when I DO have pics, rehash it all.
Reason #2a is because I downloaded all my Hawaii photos but didn't delete them from my camera yet because we keep forgetting to buy the CDRWs to back up our 'puter and it takes FOREVER to download over 300 pics...

So...let me share some of our Hawaii trip with you. You know you want to see the pics, don'tcha?!! That's me and hubby up there on the flight from our hometown, on our way to our first Hawaiian vacation - woohoo!!

This is the AbFab view from our upgraded suite with no less than 2 balconies, 2 baths, huge livingroom and bedroom!! The hotel overbooked and had to upgrade us!! I could wake up to this view of Waikiki and Diamond Head in the distance the rest of my days - ahhhh...
Well, that's all the pictures for today. Blogger is not cooperating AGAIN and not uploading more photos. I'm really frustrated with it. You get what you pay for though, and this being free, well...more pictures another day

Is there such a thing as too much of a good thing?

Margaritas, yeah. Pizza. Yes, step on the scales. Chocolate. Hmmm, nah - usually it becomes too sickeningly sweet and I've had my fill - for a few minutes anyway - tee hee!! Money. No way!! Although, I saw a cartoon that pictured a TV showing Paris Hilton buying a diamond-studded dog collar for her pooch and the caption read something like "The main reason why Warren Buffett didn't leave his zillions to his children." Yeah - I guess that is too much of a good thing.

But yarn? Too much of a good thing? How do you know? It's hard for me to gauge that (no pun intended). Here I sit at my computer in the room that is a combination sewing/crafting/computing room. I see excess all around me. Too much fabric, every notion and gadget known to the crafter!! No less than 3 sewing machines and a serger. Skillions of books and patterns. Sewing, quilting, cross stitch, knitting. In the living room sits a 65" TV and a collection of over 300 dvds. In the garage, a half dozen or more LARGE radio-controlled airplanes. (I have to throw in the refernce to HWFRCA because, he will read this someday and well - it's ammo.
Isn't he cute with his pretty plane?!!

So, the yarn stash up there. That is my sock yarn (except for a couple new additions since the picture was taken) minus the 4-5 pair of socks OTN. Count it. Enough for more than 29 pair! But they are beauts, aren't they? All their hand-painted yumminess. Too much, well it is getting to be too much for the 2 giant storage tubs that hold ALL my yarn. Hon, you want to go to Tarzhay with me so I can pick up an under-the-bed bin for my sock yarn?

The Results

Our friend at church, who underwent throat surgery on Friday got the news yesterday that the lump they removed at the base of his throat is stage 1 cancer. The family needs our prayers - him as well as his whole family. They ask that we pray every day. Me, I will call 911.

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
Psalm 91:1

A prayer of protection, which to me pretty much covers it all.

I left my heart...

Ok, well part of my job is coordinating events. We had a gala. Guess Who, was the entertainment? It's a dirty job, but somebody's gotta do it, right? I'm not bragging - just playing around trying to post a picture on my blog. I'm such a techno-dummie that 1)I don't know where the cable is to my camera, 2)if Idid know where it was, I don't know how to download and 3)this photo was easy because it was on a disc from the photographer and all I had to do was email it to myself. Come on folks - cut me some slack - I'm a newbie!! Anyway, it happened a few months ago but it was really cool. Over 550 folks in black-tie & gowns with a catered dinner in a huge white tent. The concert, to a sold-out crowd of over 1500, was in our little hometown theater. Other than the obvious photo, a highlight of the evening was when Guess Who laid down his mic and told his people to cut the sound and music and he sang an entire song a'capella! It was entrancing! He was very impressed with our little "gem" of a theater. It was an evening to remember for me and HWFRCA!!

Prayer Requests

Our small group from church met tonight at our host's house. A man in our group who, sings in our praise team, is having surgery tomorrow morning. He has a growth on his thyroid (at the base of his throat) the size of an almond. We won't know at least until after the surgery if it is cancerous, if not later. He is self-emloyed an his wife works in their business. We (about 12 or so) held hands and prayed over him. We know he is in God's hands.

Another friend/coworker who used to attend our church, has a son who has just been moved to the Pelican Bay prison. I'd never heard of that one, but apparently the very hardened, serious criminals are there. I don't know what he did and his mom is in denial. He has a small daughter that barely knows her daddy. There but by the grace of God, go I.

If anyone happens on to my blog...be sure to send up a prayer for these 2 families!

Welcome to the 21st Century!

So, here I go...blogging!! If anyone comes upon this lowly blog, my apologies. It is a work in progress. As I learn more about this thing called blogging, hopefully it will improve. I know nothing about having a spiffy personalized banner or how to add photos or any of that cool stuff. So, you pro's out there - bear with me!! I know we all prefer pictures with our written content, and I know that many of you will see this very neanderthal blog with no pictures and WAY too many words and just pass me by. That's ok, I wouldn't blame you - hopefully you'll come back someday soon and find I've learned a thing or 3!!

For those of you still reading, here is a brief introduction. I'm a married, mother of 4 sons - 2 of which are twins. They are all young adults out on their own. 2 are married and 1 has a 6 year old daughter. The 2 married sons live in the same smallish central California town as me and the other 2 live in Arizona. 1 twin in each state, as it were.

I'm a Christian and involved in my church family. If hearing God, Jesus Christ or The Holy Spirit bothers you, then that's your problem! No apologies here. I'm not going to preach or anything like that but hey - it's MY blog and if I want to mention God sometimes, I will!

As my blogname states, I sew and I knit - mostly. I'm a self-taught crafter. Well, except for crochet - I did learn that from an aunt as a preteen. I taught myself knitting in high school, knit a couple of sweaters and then gave up the needles for the hook. I gave up the hook many years ago for cross stitch, which was given up for machine embroidery and quilting on my very fancy Swiss sewing machine my wonderful hubby who shall from hence forward be known as He Who Flies Radio Controlled Airplanes or HWFRCA. (Ok, so I'm not too original - but that does tell you something about him!) I picked up my needles again about 2-3 years ago and knit many of the obligatory scarves one does when one learns/relearns to knit - well, I did! I caught the knitting bug and since then, the sewing part comes in spurts. If I could sew with my machine on my lap in my comfy chair & a half w/ottoman while watching TV, then I think I would get lots more sewing done!! I guess that is one of the reasons why I love knitting so much is that it is a portable craft. You can knit a sock with very little to have to tote around with you.

In an effort to have some sort of knitting or sewing content, today I opened my 2 large plastic storage bins of yarn to catalog my VERY blog-worthy sock yarn stash. I photographed it, made a very crude, numbered drawing of it and catalogued it on a spreadsheet. When I learn to download photos, etc., I will post pictures. Until then, use your imagination! What I discovered is, that I have enough sock yarn to knit at least 29 pairs of socks!! That doesn't include the 4 or 5 WIPs (oh, please don't get me started on WIPs in general!!). I just finished pair number 4, in Socks That Rock, Fairgrounds colorway from the STR Rockin' Sock Club 2006. I'm a late joiner and that is the first pair in the club for me. They turned out pretty good although, I'm not so good on the dreaded Kitchener stitch. I just have the buttons to sew on the cuff (that is, once I trek back to Hancock's to get another card of buttons - only got a card of 3 and I need 4 - DUH!). I love handpainted sock yarns and so far these are the ones I have collected (including WIPs - not in any particular order) - Vesper, STR, Claudia Hand Painted, Lorna's Laces, Koigu, Brooklyn Handspun, Yarn Botanika, Yarntini & Scout's Handpainted Swag.

Socks aren't the only thing I knit - but I'll save that for another post. I know by now I've lost even the most diligent of blog readers out there. Therein lies the rub - methinks I do type too much!! I'm pretty quiet verbally - but get me on the computer and I could go on and on and on...well, you got the picture!

Hope you'll come back and visit me again soon! And hopefully, there will at least be pictures!

Thanks for stopping by!
Marsha