new swaps and have you seen this??

Just wanted to make sure everyone knew that sign-ups for ISE6 are now open as are sign-ups for favorite color swap 3! And please tell me you've already seen this and are itching to make one for yourself! ;) And to Robyn, sorry for leaving you on pins and needles--it wasn't my intention @ all! :)

quite the awful blogger if you ask me

Goodness, has it really been two weeks?? I'm so sorry. Not like you're all waiting on pins and needles to hear from me! The last two weeks have been busy with a quick visit to the doctor's for some antibiotics for an infection I had, my poor students being vaporized by the flu that was going around, a quiet Valentine's Day, a bday party at the Beverly Hills Hotel, a weekend trip to see the lil munchkin, issues with my sister, followed by the feeling that I will never get caught up again (which I'm attempting to conquer!), and last week ended with me getting a fever and a headache (which translates to the early onset of the flu that vaporized my students!!) and losing my voice! Sigh.
No need to go into details regarding everything up through my students being vaporized by the flu. As for our quiet Valentine's Day, I did get my fiance a polar bear needle felting kit as well as music & lyrics, dvd and cd (his current favorite movie and favorite soundtrack!). I received Josefina and can I tell you that I'm dying to knit up a shawl for her!
The bday party at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Wow. It was a fancy girl tea party..talk about fancy schmancy. The food was both cute and yummy and the goodie bags--even my niece got a little something! We even walked off with a bunch of leftovers. The bday girl's dad wanted to make sure we took some food with us for our long drive and he kept telling everyone!! Fortunately, most of the guests were parents of students in my class so no big deal.
Now, the lil munchkin. Oh my goodness is she a a ton of fun now!! We got to my mom's late Saturday night (President's Day weekend) and rather than being asleep, she saw me, gave me a huge grin and was ready to play! The overload of pictures are the Sunday after we got there, and President's Day (in her jammies). so cute..I wish I could say I made this darling sweater!!
Doesn't she look cute in my hat??
Trying on some earmuffs
And now a water bottle and one of her dinosaur links that she got in her goodie bag!
What is that face??
remember, she's sneaky!
yeah, I have a dinosaur hooked to my sweater, so what??
hmm...I think I can figure this out on my own.
bubbles!! (Robyn, I have to tell you that I just had to try bubbles with my niece after seeing how much Sean loved them.)
looking as if she is brushing her teeth with her light-up toothbrush (she's actually trying to get the light on by biting around where it lights up!!!)
haha...I made the hole bigger in my toothbrush.
Sigh, time to go to take a nap! I spent most of my time just hanging out with her and running around with her. Hence the lack of pictures.
Issues with my sister..where do we even begin. She's moving, yay!! My parents actually wanted her to not move but I can't take not being spoken to for much longer..I don't want to go into it. I'll save it for its own post. I had intended to during the two weeks I've been missing but didn't. I'm okay with her moving out--I'm actually looking forward to her moving out because then all the negative energy she has created will disappear!
Let's see my own illness? I went home last Thursday feeling headachy and as though I was going to be running a temperature. Later that night, I had a temp. of 103 (which is what most of my kids had!) and was worried that I was finally going to be hit by their flu. Fortunately for me, the fever went away and all I had left was no voice. I totally missed Carl Lewis at my school. Ugh. Oh well. That just means I can't miss Isabel Allende when she comes. This past Friday and Saturday I was in bed. Yesterday, I went out for a little bit but still wasn't feeling 100%. Today, I actually felt normal again so it's back to work tomorrow. Oh and my voice did return..but now I've got an annoying sore throat.
There has been knitting though! No real progress. I finished my techguy socks and my spring things shawl. Here are close-up shots of my spring things shawl. I've already worn it. I wore it to the fancy schmancy tea party. I realized I need a shawl pin!!Here's a sock I started using some of Sarah's self-striping. :) Since it was so Valentinesy (and for me!)
I decided my fiance needed some stripey socks as well. I've finished the first socks for both pairs (just don't have pics!) and am working on the gusset for both socks. His are made with shibui sock yarn. Though this stuff pools like a mother, it is so, so, ridiculously soft.
Okay, and now I must bid you adieu!

ray bradbury, a package, and a shawl!

And I present to you, Ray Bradbury. He spoke for an hour and then did autographs. He was funny and an interesting speaker. Apparently he has spoken at every library in Southern California. His main message was to leave us with a feeling of love because you have to have love in your life. He is an amazing man and has led a full life. He's definitely a engineer of change and he does so through writing. He's had a hand in the design of the Horton Plaza in San Diego and Hollywood & Highland Center to name just a few.
Now, here's my hot cocoa swap from Logan L! Nice shoes, by the way! lol.
Look @ all the goodies!!
Everything unpacked. I received some lindt hot cocoa, a box of ferrer rocher (one of my favorites!!), 2 dark chocolate candy bars, stitchmarkers, super cool peppermint marshmallows (which I hadn't seen before!), sock yarn, a cool lobster, a fairleigh dickinson mug filled with some tootsie rolls, and a burt's bee pack of lotion. :) Thank you sooo very much for all the spoiling. I've had some week!
Look @ my cute lil lobster!!! It's already been claimed by my fiance (of course!).
Some sock yarn.
Some super cute fishie stitchmarkers!!
And here's a crappy shot of my finished spring things shawl, unblocked. My wires didn't arrive yet. I'm wondering where the heck they're at. Maybe they're at school and I didn't see them by my mailbox. Hmmm. I'm hoping to get to block my shawl this weekend. I was wearing it around the living room last night! It's my first shawl, what do you expect! It's on the smallish side so I'm hoping blocking will stretch it out a lot. I'm guessing @ least to my bottom. We'll see..

Movie Meme

I saw this up on Elspethm's blog. I was curious to see how much of a life I don't have.

“SUPPOSEDLY if you’ve seen over 85 films, you have no life. Mark the ones you’ve seen. There are 239 films on this list. Copy this list, go to your own facebook account blog, paste this as a note. Then, put x’s next to the films you’ve seen, add them up. Have fun!

(x) Rocky Horror Picture Show (x) Grease (x) Pirates of the Caribbean (x)Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man’s Chest () Boondock Saints (x) Fight Club () Starsky and Hutch (x) Neverending Story () Blazing Saddles (x) Airplane Total: 7

() The Princess Bride (x) AnchorMan (x )Napoleon Dynamite () Labyrinth ( ) Saw ( ) Saw II ( ) White Noise (x) White Oleander (x) Anger Management (x) 50 First Dates (x) The Princess Diaries (x) The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement Total so far: 14

(x) Scream () Scream 2 () Scream 3 (x) Scary Movie ( ) Scary Movie 2 () Scary Movie 3 () Scary Movie 4 (x) American Pie (x) American Pie 2 () American Wedding ( ) American Pie Band Camp Total so far: 18

() Harry Potter 1 () Harry Potter 2 () Harry Potter 3 () Harry Potter 4 (x) Resident Evil 1 ( ) Resident Evil 2 (x) The Wedding Singer (x) Little Black Book () The Village (x) Lilo & Stitch Total so far: 22

(x) Finding Nemo (x) Finding Neverland () Signs (x) The Grinch (x) Texas Chainsaw Massacre ( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (x) White Chicks ( ) Butterfly Effect (x) 13 Going on 30 (x) I, Robot (x) Robots Total so far: 30

(x) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story ( ) Universal Soldier (x) Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events (x) Along Came Polly ( ) Deep Impact () KingPin (x) Never Been Kissed () Meet The Parents () Meet the Fockers () Eight Crazy Nights () Joe Dirt () KING KONG Total so far: 34

(x) A Cinderella Story () The Terminal (x) The Lizzie McGuire Movie () Passport to Paris () Dumb & Dumber () Dumber & Dumberer (x) Final Destination (x) Final Destination 2 (x)Final Destination 3 (x) Halloween (x) The Ring (x) The Ring 2 ( ) Surviving X-MAS ( ) Flubber Total so far: 42

(x) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle (x) Practical Magic ( ) Chicago ( ) Ghost Ship () From Hell () Hellboy ( )Secret Window (x) I Am Sam (x) The Whole Nine Yards ( ) The Whole Ten Yards Total so far: 45

( ) The Day After Tomorrow ( ) Child’s Play ( ) Seed of Chucky ( ) Bride of Chucky (x) Ten Things I Hate About You (x) Just Married ( ) Gothika (x) Nightmare on Elm Street (x) Sixteen Candles (x) Remember the Titans (x) Coach Carter (x) The Grudge ( ) The Grudge 2 () The Mask ( ) Son Of The Mask Total so far: 52

(x) Bad Boys () Bad Boys 2 ( ) Joy Ride ( ) Lucky Number Sleven (x) Ocean’s Eleven (x) Ocean’s Twelve ( ) Bourne Identity ( ) Bourne Supremecy () Lone Star ( ) Bedazzled (x) Predator I ( ) Predator II () The Fog (X) Ice Age (x) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown () Curious George Total so far: 58

() Independence Day (x) Cujo (x) A Bronx Tale (x) Darkness Falls (x) Christine (x) ET () Children of the Corn (x) My Bosses Daughter (x) Maid in Manhattan (x) War of the Worlds (x) Rush Hour (x) Rush Hour 2 Total so far: 67

( ) Best Bet (x) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (x) She’s All That ( ) Calendar Girls (x) Sideways () Mars Attacks ( ) Event Horizon ( ) Ever After (x) Wizard of Oz (x) Forrest Gump (x) Big Trouble in Little China (x) The Terminator (x) The Terminator 2 (x) The Terminator 3 Total so far: 76

() X-Men (x) X-2 (x) X-3 (x) Spider-Man (x) Spider-Man 2 ( ) Sky High ( ) Jeepers Creepers ( ) Jeepers Creepers 2 (x) Catch Me If You Can () The Little Mermaid (x) Freaky Friday ( ) Reign of Fire (x) The Skulls (x) Cruel Intentions ( ) Cruel Intentions 2 (x) The Hot Chick (x) Shrek (x) Shrek 2 Total so far: 86

It's official, I have no life!! I've surpassed the limit of having a lifeness. I'm not even done with the list! And I want to add that just because I've seen all these movies, doesn't necessarily mean I liked them all.

(x) Swimfan () Miracle on 34th street (x) Old School (x) The Notebook () K-Pax (x) Krippendorf’s Tribe (x) A Walk to Remember ( ) Ice Castles (x) Boogeyman (x) The 40-year-old Virgin Total so far: 93

(x) Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring (x) Lord of the Rings The Two Towers (x) Lord of the Rings Return Of the King (x) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (x) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom () Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade Total so far: 98

() Baseketball () Hostel () Waiting for Guffman () House of 1000 Corpses () Devils Rejects (x ) Elf (x) Highlander (x) Mothman Prophecies (x) American History X ( ) Three Total so Far: 102

(x) The Jacket () Kung Fu Hustle () Shaolin Soccer () Night Watch (x) Monsters Inc. () Titanic () Monty Python and the Holy Grail (x) Shaun Of the Dead () Willard Total so far: 105

( ) High Tension () Club Dread (x) Hulk () Dawn Of the Dead (x) Hook (x) Chronicles Of Narnia The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe () 28 days later () Orgazmo () Phantasm () Waterworld Total so far: 108

(x) Kill Bill vol 1 (x) Kill Bill vol 2 () Mortal Kombat () Wolf Creek (x) Kingdom of Heaven () the Hills Have Eyes () I Spit on Your Grave aka the Day of the Woman () The Last House on the Left () Re-Animator (x) Army of Darkness Total so far: 112

() Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace () Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones (x) Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith (x) Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope (x) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back (x) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi ( ) Ewoks Caravan Of Courage ( ) Ewoks The Battle For Endor Total so far: 116

() The Matrix ( ) The Matrix Reloaded ( ) The Matrix Revolutions () Animatrix (x) Evil Dead (x) Evil Dead 2 () Team America: World Police () Red Dragon () Silence of the Lambs () Hannibal Total: 118

lol.

one more!

I love this week. Not only did I get my sock blockers from the loopy ewe today but I also got my february january sock kit (sorry that I mistakenly called it the feb. kit. I got it in february, what's a girl to do? :P) from robyn's nest! In addition to my kit (which included a skein of yarn called vintage rose, stitch markers, a sample of soak wash, and an awesome pattern from mona schmidtt!!!!!!!), I also got a bag of ketchup flavored lays from Robyn for my fiance. Thanks hon!!!!!! Here is a better shot of vintage rose. I've been having a hard time getting good photographs lately due to the lack of sun the last few days. Pardon the poor shots that I have been posting lately.
And here is a much better shot of sweetheart. It's truer to its color than the close-up shot is.
Okay, I shouldn't be receiving anymore yarn now. Other than the seasons' kit (I think--I don't keep track!) and a package from my hot cocoa swap spoiler! :) Tomorrow (if not Friday), I ought to have a picture of a finished shawl--at least the knitting part. I'm going to hear Ray Bradbury speak tomorrow evening so who knows if I'll get a chance to post once I get home.

when it rains, it pours

I spend everyday wishing for yarn in my mailbox, right? Well, my wish came true today--threefold, in fact! :) I'm sure my fiance couldn't believe it when he collected all the packages.
This would be 'marvelous' the first colorway of the latest installment of the chewy spaghetti blue plate special sock club. The colorway reminds me of something but I can't put my finger on it.
Accompanying the yarn, was this really cool ball of yarn with needles which I now have hanging on my wall by my computer. It's so cute. Unfortunately, the person who makes these balls is on a hiatus. I checked. :( I also received a pattern and a new sheep tape measure. Oh and the yarn is a silk/merino blend. Sooooooooo super soft!
This is a close-up of 'sweetheart,' a self-striping yarn from Perfect Day Yarns. Sarah just recently had hand surgery so it's going to be a while before she restocks her shop. :( I don't think this picture is true to the yarn's color. I'll try to take a better shot of it.
I also picked up 'perfect day' from Sarah. :)
Now, does this colorway look a bit familiar? It's the colorway I picked up for my hot cocoa swap downstream pal. I just had to have a skein for myself. It is chuckanut drive from hazel knits. Though I purchased this skein from woolgirl.
I also picked up some of this which is matcha from painted skeins but purchased at woolgirl. Do you see the sparklies?? It's real silver!
Okay, I still have dinner to make and I'm about to start the edging for my shawl!!

crochet anyone?

Well, in order to complete my critter, I had to crochet some eyeballs. I'm going to let you in on a little secret about me. Prior to this little guy, I hadn't successfully tried crochet. I've tried it once or twice but was always unsuccessful and never really 'got it.' In fact, I've always tried to stay away from patterns that required me to do any kind of crochet because I never thought I could figure out how to do it. I kept telling myself I'd teach myself how to crochet over the summer--or @ least the next long break I have off from school. I was seriously considering just picking out some buttons and sewing them on as eyes. My fiance had already picked some out. Something inside me made me decided to give it a try one last time. With the help of this website, I learned how to do a chain stitch and I learned how to do single crochet! This picture is my first nice chain stitch.

I'm single crocheting, yo! :)
Sideways view of my three rows of single crochet. As for my thoughts..crocheting is hard and it makes my hand hurt. Here's the finished critter! My fiance didn't want to let the guy go. I had to tell him that I'd make him one after I finished my shawl...which I can now focus on again!
In non-crochet news, today was day one of the accreditation team coming to visit. I got interviewed with my partner. I was asked if I was a teacher asst. or an asst. teacher (yes, there's a difference!) and my response was that I was actually a co-teacher. Poor woman. She said she had no idea and no one had even alluded to that fact. She was a bit taken aback. Hope that doesn't count against us. They will still be with us through tomorrow afternoon and then we will not be having a staff meeting (yahooooo!!!) so we can all go complete our civic duty.

trying to make up for lost time

You know, everyday, I literally wish for yarn in my mailbox. And look what I got today! This was quite unexpected. I had remembered ordering it some time ago but hadn't even thought about the possibility of this yarn arriving on the first day of February! It's the February sock kit from yarn4socks. It's another light blue yarn. I'm not exactly fond of light blue so I guess I'm going to have to wait and see what I end up doing with this stuff. I originally ordered this kit because I thought it was going to be a lace pattern to go with the yarn..not a lace sock pattern. More yarn should be coming though...and my blocking wires as well!
I've been staying up the last few nights trying to get this guy done. He's not quite done yet but he's on the way. I started the scarf that goes with him but I didn't like the look of a plain garter stitch scarf. I did a mini version of the my so-called scarf for it but I frogged that about an hour ago. I dunno what kind of scarf I'm going to make but I've got to figure that out soon. Last night, I watched "The Secret." I hadn't intended to ever watch it because I watched the show on Oprah about it. The other reason I didn't want to watch it is because the basic principles of the secret are ones that I typically live by anyway..except to a higher degree. When I got home yesterday, my fiance had it on while he was doing some work. His new boss told him to watch it. He also already follows the basic principles but again, doesn't apply it to every aspect of his life (much like me!).
Well, as promised, here are my nominations for the You Make My Day Award.

In no particular order, I bestow this award upon Sarah, Arleta, Hakucho, Robyn, Jeanne, Knottykitty, Kendyl, Irene, Toni and Carole. Each one is unique in their own right and they each bring me something different. Sarah, yarn dyer extraodinaire has amazing lace projects, delicious hand dyed yarn, and a pair of cute and funny kids! Arleta was my first blogging friend. :) She is a super mom with three uber cool kids and she has the patience to teach children at her daughter's school how to knit and how to spin! Hakucho is an amazing knitter and chef (if you ask me!). She comes up with the most creative knitting projects I've ever seen! Check out her recycled plastic bag bags! Robyn is a mother of 1.5 children (haha..one's still in the oven, hence the .5) who has started her own online yarn shop and spends her days hanging out with a most photogenic young boy. She's a fantastic photographer and always has cool things to show off. Jeanne is a very talented knitter. I love going to her blog to check out what she's working on now and experience the same trials and tribulations when a project goes awry. Knottykitty is hilarious--and we've met in person! She's been in a bit of a slump but hopefully things will improve. Kendyl is someone whose blog I've just begun reading and I already love it. Not only is she an adventurous knitter but she makes you think too! Irene has a great sense of humor as well and she works for a newspaper. I love reading her posts and hearing about her latest experiment! Toni, where do I even begin? This is a woman who has decided to jump into the world of selling her own crafts. Not only is she a knitter but she also does embroidery and she makes fantastic ATC's. Last but definitely not least is Carole who is a teacher like me but she is a mother as well who makes the most thoughtful knitted gifts to most of her children's teachers! I wish I had a mom knit stuff for me!!
Now, here are the rules:
Give the award to up to 10 people whose blogs bring you happiness and inspiration and make you feel so happy about Blogland! Let them know by posting a comment on their blog so that they can pass it on. Beware! You may get the award several times!