oooh...shiny!

See, every little once in a while I listen to Miss Croucher, especially when she's showing me a super-cutie-something-or-other in a boutiquey little bag with fluffy bits of tissue and pretty ribbons frothing out of the bag...
Well, let me just tell you... it's worth listening to The Croucher. I went into a little shop in Greenwood today called 'Lottie Dottie'... AHHH mazing. I bought skinny black jeans. A little black beaded sweater. An "I'm going to wear this 'till I die" grey tiny cardi. But the most unbelievable thing, for a formerly plus size girl such as myself, was the silver sequined top, to be worn with said skinny jeans. Me. Sequins. Shopping in a boutique full of adorable clothes. Trying things on and not having to settle for whatever will fit, but actually getting to be picky-choosy about what got to come home with me, in that beribboned and tissue filled bag.
Thank you, Amanda. It could only have been a better shopping experience if you'd been there with me!

girl, interrupted

Well, so far my lapse back into blogging has been a little hit and miss, but overall, I think progress is being made. If one considers how little time I'm actually anywhere near a computer, you'd be amazed I got THIS far...I'm actually considering just tweeting for awhile, but the tactile satisfaction of tippity-tapping on a keyboard keeps me here.
Now for a wee bit of show and tell... here you will see the old knit pit sofa, recovered in home dec fabric. I can honestly say it's an improvement, but she does require some toss pillows. I'm on it, though they may be just store bought cheapies from Target initially...or perhaps I'll venture over to Pier One after the holidays. Hmmmmm...

The other day when I burped the knitting stash, these were one of the projects I had to take out and fondle for a few rounds.  A delicious alpaca blend in tropical colors... and it's so FUZZY!!!! (Hey, Croucher!)

Now, as for the cookie recipe I said I would put up here... turns out I already DID... in November... two YEARS ago. There's even a picture, so just go dig into the archives, November 29th, 2008 and go crazy. They're totally yummy and calorie-worthy. I have much to do if I'm going to be ready to go watch Amy belly dance at Acropolis tonight. She says she wants to get me up and dancing with her... can you believe she starts drinking so early in the day??? LOL!

cookie monster

Yes, it appears signs of life do exist on this blog. I spent the day with flour and spices up to my eyeballs... well, truthfully, my bum was sporting the majority of the flour, cuz I have an obnoxious hand-wiping habit, and never seem to have an apron on when the really dusty stuff is going on... *sigh*
BUT, needless to say, I baked up eleven dozen and two molasses spice cookies today. They turned out perfect, crinkled and chewy and oh, so deliciously scented. Mmmmm. This batch is being gifted, but I'll try to get a photo and the recipe up here by the week's end. As I type this, I'm also baking the last pan of runzas. For those of you without Russian heritage, the idea of meat, cabbage, and onions seasoned and baked into a bun might seem a little strange, but I was able to fly to Texas last week and learn to make them properly literally at my Grandma's side. I'll put that recipe up too, since this knit blog is getting back to it's beginnings as an everything blog... and you know if both my sister and I were chowing down bowls full of the runza filling, it's daaayum good!
Becher Haus is holiday ready. The newly re-covered sofa (remember the knit pit? ol' girl is sporting some Denyse Schmidt now!)is home, looking all English and awaiting scads of throw pillows. To that end, I'm hoping to get some built from the remaining stash of home dec fabrics very soon. Knitting continues to crawl along...I took out a few projects and knitted a round or two on them last night, just to remind them what it felt like. Oh, before I forget... I just loosed a bunch of knitting books on the Franklin Goodwill this morning, so go lurk a little if your crafty book stash wants padding. I'm deep into de-clutter mode right now, and the back of the Suburban was full of a closet's worth of nightmare... I even got rid of the pink and orange 'Library' bag from L.L.Bean... and boy, howdy, was that hard to do, but someone will see it and love it and take it for walkies to visit the library, and maybe toss in their wallet and knitting and drag it absolutely everywhere...
well... that's what we hope for when we give away our perfectly good junk, right? Right now, some former crack head is stocking the shelves at Goodwill and thinking "shit... I was never THAT f^cked up!" Srsly. My pink and orange phase is over. At Goodwill. *gigglesnort*
Tomorrow is another day, and I've got plans in it, so it's off to sleep for me. You go do what you do, and stop back here...
you know you're curious about those runzas!

Back from the bar, y'all

Actually, I've been thinking about this dead blog for awhile and since certain persons in this haus refuse to follow the "if she's asleep, don't for fucksake wake her" protocol, I find myself with some quiet, alone time to sit here at the keyboard.  News of note, for any of you following along, I'm in single digit pants sizes (but a 6 only in the really expensive, vanity-sized brands), I meet with my plastic surgeon in January to plan the removal of MUCH extra skin...it is disgusting and must go, so I can wear my shirts tucked in and my rocking cute rhinestone-studded skull belt buckle.  True story.  Found him at a flea market.  Now I don't need to drive back to Nashville and try to steal one off the waitresses at 'Coyote Ugly'.

Made the discovery of Madison, Indiana a few months ago.  Not only does that town sport a gorgeous riverfront, but also a chocolate shop that sells chocolate covered salt caramels.  I can assure you that it's worth the trip to Cocoa Safari, and be sure to grab a bag of the dark chocolate covered almonds while you're there.  It's a little bag of foreplay for your mouth... just sayin'...  Also, be sure to hit the end of the street for a visit to 'All Good Things'. It's an amazing little shop and the proprietor is also the creator of really delicious, richly scented soaps.  I'm still partial to Mandi's (formerly my Monday Mandi) handmade soaps, and I do have a huge, Jude Law worthy crush on the Zum Bar 'anise and lavender' scented soap, but THAT aside, the soap store in Madison is a MUST see. I even ventured into the quilt shop there, Margie's Country Store (so as not to be confused with the OTHER fabric shop in town that looks like a thirty year old rummage sale with bad lighting and the ceiling about to fall in)... but I digress... anyhoooo, I left with bundles of civil war era prints in golds and reds and creams. Yeah. Me. I nearly passed out from the shock of it, too!  Not to worry, though.  I found a funky pattern in an Australian quilting magazine that will set off the colors nicely and provide the proper visual punch.  What? You thought I was going to piece wee, teensy stars or itty, bitty 'courthouse steps' blocks with my bag o' retro?  Silly baby!

Now that I'm back in school, with no 'day job' to keep me busy, things are pretty dull around here.  I'm still knitting socks like a fiend, and even have a sweater on the needles...with cables, no less.  It's a gift for a lovely woman who needs a knitted hug. I can't wait to finish it and see her wrapped in it's warmth. Good motivation to keep my hands busy!  This post has been a long time coming, and I don't know if any of you are still checking out the activity over here, but if you are, give me a shout out in the comments.  This posting hopefully won't be an isolated incident... latah, knittahs!

the downside

and there is one, to all that damnable sleep i got last night... wired and wide awake would be this poor girl's status for now.  add to that the fact that everyone else in becher haus is sound asleep, thereby precluding me from doing anything remotely noisy, and you have one bored little blogger.  so, blog, how was your day?  me? oh, i went and hung out at the willard for awhile, since our croucher-comma-amanda was working and it turned into a beer day.  then, when i thought the day was over, i was coerced back... much diet soda was consumed, as my evening duties included 'designated driving'.  i rock the dd job, btw.  my companion not only clutched the ohshit bar the whole way, but was also sighted squinting his eyes shut, and, if i'm not mistaken, clutching his stomach with his free hand.  it was a very fun drive back to the haus!

tasks for the week include cranking out another pair of baby socks for an upcoming shower, getting three baby quilt tops into final assembly stage, and unearthing the walking foot for my sewing machine.  i don't care how boogered up it gets, i am going to machine quilt at least one of those darn things myself.  alone.  independent of a professional quilter.  yup.  i'm going right over the edge to the dark side of quilting.  it's a win-win though.  i'll have a completely finished baby gift AND i'll improve my on-the-fly cursing skills.  you know the ones... the special superpowers you get when you stub your toe or sideswipe a pole with your car.  yeah, sewing can unleash them, too.  soooo, anyhow... i suppose i could just medicate and zonk and get the day over with.  seems like too good a night to waste, though.  i stood outside awhile tonight and found pegasus and hercules and the corona, and a few other constellations i had to look up.  binoculars would be helpful.  remind me to hang them by the door tomorrow so we can have another lookie-see.

my official take on this sunday: ugh. just ugh. glad it's over, though my hair turned out fabulous today.  so, not a total loss, i guess.  g'nite, kittens.  *mwah*

helloooo, august

I'm usually not a big fan of summer, fall being my favorite time of the year, but this has been an exceptional summer so far, and with more to look forward to this month, I can't say I'm sorry to see the calendar page flip.  my cousin Dorothy's wedding reception in Chicago is in less than 2 weeks... I'm so thrilled to be going, I'm not even freaked out about driving through the windy city (as opposed to riding shotgun... always).  A side trip to Navy Pier to ride the Ferris wheel, stay to see the fireworks, and head back to the haus.  Just an over-nighter, but an adventure all the same.

Currently sitting on front porch while my hair dye 'cooks' the gray off my hair, then I can go out in public today.  Yesterday was spent cleaning the dregs out of the store.  Clementine's is officially over.  Done.  Finito.  and after catching nearly nine hours of sleep (yeah, me! who'd a thunk it?) I'm feeling pretty much like a new woman.  Well, at least I was till I took a gander at the boxes stacked in the entryway at Becher haus.  Much go go through and a big sort/pitch will have to happen soon.  The design studio is ready for action.  I'm moving my home stash of fabrics over there today, along with the rest of my sister's Bud Lite Limes... for when the creative process fails me, you know.

Little sister came for a week's visit, bringing my niece and nephew in tow.  It was the first time I'd gotten to meet young master Harrison.  He's super cute, with his Mississippi drawl and my niece is so different from her seven year old self.  She's thirteen now, and smart and funny and pretty.  She came with us to the tattoo parlor to watch as her momma and auntie got their matching cherry blossom tattoos.  I haven't taken a decent photo of mine yet, but will post one when the healing process has finished.  Some things are worth the wait...

Time to stop scaring the neighbors as I sit out here with the smooshy, sludgy dye on my roots.  Time to make Sunday happen.  Be well, all y'all... I'll see you back here in a bit, once I burp some photos out of the camera.

ha!

this isn't even a real post, in case you were wondering.  it's just been a crazy week and i'm too full of thoughts to even begin getting them down... that whole "nailing jello to a tree" analogy comes to mind.  so, instead, i'll just throw random bits of happy out and you can ignore or ponder them at your leisure...

county fairs and demolition derbys.  yes. i came. i saw. i sweated like a whore in church... and loved every damn minute of it!

running away from home?   head to louisville, but unless you're a huge fan, skip the urban bourbon tour. i have exactly one stamp in my bourbon passport, and i'm quite ashamed to say i dinna even drink the damn stuff.  had to leave the nasty, mulchy-smelling stuff there on the bar.  thank gawd for tequila... and irish whisky...

getting asked if you've recently undergone gastric-bypass surgery.  this happened to me at belly dance class last night, which in my brain is really still tonight (cuz i'm up typing in these wee hours of the morning, the sleep, she eludes me).  should this question thrill me so much?  hellz yeah!  i'm at my lowest weight in sixteen years.  sixteen.  years.  yeah, baby...
and my weight doesn't even start with a 'two' anymore.  i might faint from the thrill of it all.

moving into the girl-cave this week has been hot, miserable work, but the end is near... and there's cold beer in the fridge and the air-conditioning is cranked.  that first electric bill might make me swoon, but as an official resident of the girl-cave, i have to gird my loins (i just wanted to use the word loins... makes me feel all 'wild kingdom') for the shock of it.  also, i need to remember that hot air rises, so maybe winter won't be so bad... plus, that's what the handknits are for.  i iz knittah.  chillz?  bah!

little boys with fresh haircuts.  sleeping siamese cats on comfy chairs.  girls in glasses looking super-cute.  realizing that the world doesn't come screeching to a halt if you take a breather to collect your thoughts... or to bandy them about.  deciding not to decide about some things... only open-minded people think to mix their italian ices.  i might love that a little... okay... a lot.
lemon-blueberry, anyone?

enjoying the ride?

today is an 'out day'... i'm running on fumes, but the weekend is just a few days away. hang on and enjoy the ride... words to live by, for a few more days at least!

the girl cave...

okay, tomorrow is the last day of painting... the girl cave is nearly finished. yeah, there's the whole 'moving in' thing to get through. i keep forgetting about that part...

not much to see here. just walls and ladders. just preserving the memory of a nearly pristine workspace. the next time you see it, it'll be full of color and chaos... and quilts, if i get my arse moving.

the wonderous view of a brick wall out the back kitchen window. i'm embracing the whole 'city-apartment' feel... perhaps i'll sneak out for smoke-breaks. my bum fits the windowsill.
i checked already...

lil' bitty update

Today was a busy little day at Becher Haus...
these two had a birthday. Thirteen and fifteen. I'm pretty sure we just brought the wee girlie home, but now she's ready to learn to drive. I need a lie-down...

Knitting happened whilst I waited on getting the tires re-balanced... and yeah, I'm verrry into pirates right now. He's the perfect knitting companion. The baby socks are random bits of Opal sock yarn, and the goal is handsful of mis-matched 'thockies' for baby gifts. I just need scads more before October, when all the wee ones start making appearances.

First thing this morning... dermatologist appointment. Got a nice little speeding ticket on the way there, but the scary part was the NEEDLE full of lidocaine STUCK IN MY EYELID. Oh. Was I shouting? Sorry. It was a little harrowing. Even birthday cake dinna make it better. Tomorrow I expect to not look like a bruiser. I'll still have sock yarn in hand, though...

No 'show & tell' today

... but that just means it'll be all the better when I do finally fire up the camera.  Things seem to be cruising along pretty well lately.  The studio is a work-in-progress, but the ceilings are no longer in danger of dropping old plaster on anyone, and painting commences tomorrow.  I don't know what's up with the contractor for the haus, but there is that whole 'blinking voicemail' doogie on my phone... I'll have to check that out.  This weekend I'm letting my inner redneck out in a big way (sorry, mom!) and attending my first mud bog festival.  Oh, I'm sorry... did you just crack your head on the desk?  Ouch!  I shoulda warned you it was coming.  My predilection for shocking behavior should serve as a warning to y'all.  Now you know.  Anyway, right after mudding and hitting the honky tonk bars, I'm headed to Louisville, for a little respite from 'real life'.  Booked a room in a fancy hotel and I'm hauling the laptop with me for some remote blogging... the camera is all charged up.  No chores, no five chirruns wanting fed, no having to referee disputes over the Wii, or whose turn it is to haul out the trash.  Just peaceful nothingness on Egyptian cotton sheets and a 'hot brown' in my belly.  My goal- to get things squared away and maybe get a name and a mission statement hammered out in my brain about this new direction things are moving in.  I've got about six quilt designs to get sketched onto paper before I lose them, and am hoping to have a few started within a month. Thinking of selling kits for the smaller quilts, but that's far in future.  I have the submission guidelines in hand for creating a fabric collection... that's my 'must do before I die' project that keeps haunting me.  We'll see how that goes, though a local artist's work is the first thing I want to see translated into fabric; he's excited about the project, so hopefully Westminster/Free Spirit will see the edgy-genius of it as well.  More later, kittens.  I'm off to beautify and crash No-Amy's door with Starbucks in hand.  She escaped having to go camping and today her freedom ends... poor baby.  Is alright.  I fix. *mwah*

falling to pieces

So, it's been a hella couple of weeks since a whole tree fell on the haus.  In that span of time, I've closed the store, rented an apartment downtown to use as a design studio, called countless contractors for both the damaged haus and the daunting task of painting the interior of an apartment with 14 ft. ceilings.  The haus remains a wee bit of a wreck, but I think we've got a good guy to work on it.  My beautiful friend Phyl recommended him, so crossables crossed... and the painting guy seems more than capable.  The whole "design studio" concept was to create a space where I could work on quilts without interruption, but wouldn't you know it, as I've been waiting to get moved into the new space, the coolest idea for a line of fabrics has burrowed into my brain.  So... yeah.  Fabric design.  Just one of many new adventures in this life, post-Clementine.

In other random news, the evil bronchitis is nearly completely gone,  just re-inked the old tattoos the other night, started a new belly dance class last night, have taken up beer with a vengeance in this awful heat, and I'm at my lowest weight in 16 years.  Yep.  I was so shocked I bought myself a Calvin Klein dress... and it fits perfectly.  Of course, a pair of 6" stilettos also found their way home with me, along with other wardrobing accessories, but buying something off the rack in a size 14 thrilled this lil' big grrrl to pieces.  Things are finally feeling manageable, I'm knitting again, and life seems full of promise.  I never expected retail to suck the life out of me, but I suppose the last seven months were what did it.  Problem solved.  Now to get back some semblance of a life, though the new one may bear little resemblance to the previous one.  Still many loose ends to tie up, but I just wanted to check in with y'all...
don't worry.  This'll be mo' bettah, cheres...

At least it's on the backside...

By the time the storm was over last night, it was far too dark for photos. I couldn't even see how high up the tree had snapped off, so it was a relief to see it was really just the top thirty foot or so. Madeleine's windows are both blocked... as she's a teenager and prone to sleeping till noon anyway, she prolly won't consider this an inconvenience, unless she's developed a claustrophobic streak since her days of hiding in the kitchen cabinets with the cat...
the beginning...

and the end result...isn't it fabulous?
Getting a tree service out here to haul this mess away is a priority. It seems there were 'residents' in yon tree...noisy, scrabbly squirrels, whom I now consider to be squatters, and if they keep playing their noisy, scrabbly mating games on my roof...
well, let's just say I'll be making biscuits and calling mom for grandpa's squirrel gravy recipe. The dog loves biscuits and gravy!

This last photo goes out to lil' friend Su... oh, and Mom, who claims to have forgotten what I look like (you just saw me three years ago...geez!) This was date night, third Sunday of May, and I got stood up by Susan so she could work... for money... instead of coming out with moi. Will had come out to the haus to give me, at my request, "Katie Perry hair", and boy, howdy, did he evah. This photo was taken after a three pub crawl, an ill-fated game of pool, and the longest round of darts known to man, in which Croucher remains the victor. The flower behind the ear is now an affectation of mine... I plan to spend all summer looking like either a.)a displaced parrot-head, or b.)a post-apocalyptic flower child. It's a win-win either way. Nobody bothers the kooky chick with the fake flora pinned to her head.

inaminit

Well, hell. Look who's turned into Chatty Cathy all of a sudden. Must be my impending freedom making me all loosey goosey with the typing. Today was looking like a free day, what with Herr Becher on 'vacay' and all, but there's the 'Fun and Done' quilt class tonight at the shop, so someone has to be there to lock up. This leaves me with the bulk of my day to play around. I shopped my stash in the bedroom closet (what? you don't have random 66gallon tubs of fabric stashed all over your haus? get with the program... geez!) and found some Michael Miller "sundaes" fabric and was suddenly inspired to throw a few 'Stash&Dash' bags together. Oddly enough, there were coordinating zippers in that stash bucket as well. I did grab another half dozen zippers at JoAnn's last night before belly dance class, but naturally they've decided to be the wrong color for my current ice cream fabric obsession. See how calm I am? One might suspect I'm used to being thwarted by my own inner stitcher...

So, bright and early, I was up with the coffeepot, making my sewing-day plans, and I thought to check the traps. No morning mouse. Two days in a row with the no-mouses. Excuse me a minute...

Ok. I'm done with my happy dance, though the darkness inside me is snickering that the mice are just laying low till Herr Becher's vacation days are over, so that he'll be gone and I'll be back on body-dump duty. Ugh. I hate that little inner voice. Just once it'd be nice if she was wrong.

It's time, once again, to ready the store's newsletter. Camp Wanamaikasaukee kicks off 'officially' this Saturday, so I must alert the masses. I'm thinking sock camp would be a fun retreat to do every summer or fall, possibly in an exotic location. Of course, around here that leaves one with scant few possibilities: Bloomington, Nashville (IN, not TN), or further south to French Lick. Hmmm... gambling and spa treatments, all under the guise of 'sock camp'...

yes. I, too, see the beauty of this plan. Alrighty, then. Something to plan for, because I'm feeling way, waaayyy more creative as the shackles of shop-ownership prepare to come off. Thank God, 'cuz for a year there, I thought I'd lost my damn mind!

I'm slowly getting caught up on my blog reading. My hate/hate relationship with all things electronic has made me slow in getting to know our new computer, but I'm finding that since I'm the first one up in the morning, it's allowing me unfettered access. Usually there's five chirruns crowding me out, or Herr Becher's IMAO addiction to work around. Just know I'm looking, trying your yummy recipes in spite of the devil diet and couch to 5K plan, I'm drooling over your latest project, and I'm cringing at your latest round of sick puppy vet bills. Ugh. Keep spilling, 'cuz I'm so glad to be back...

a post-script for the bereft (this means you, sarah and laurel):

two words... fabric. co-op.

ponder that for awhile. like i said yesterday, one door closes, another one opens...

to-do lists

Hello, gentle reader. Thanks for stopping by. Since my last post, I've been on one grand adventure after another, and though, yes, I was that girl Saturday night, the one who got up and drunkenly sang with the band at Miss Karen's party, I reformed into the best DD ever for Zoe's 'inappropriate t-shirt' party last night. I even mostly ignored the Patron (ok. I had a few tequilas... and beers... and some jello that wasn't, and her drunken cherries and watermelon were yummy, too) but I avoided the beer pong tourney out in the garage. Herr Becher didn't fare so well. Speak above a whisper today and he winces and turns green. Oh, the amateur. I brought him some donuts and coffee. A full recovery is underway.

A good many of you have been asking me... daily, and without ceasing, what I intend to do with myself once I close Clementine's. The general consensus seems to be that without regular contact with the general public my brain will shrivel and I'll have to be fitted with one of those fashionably tight white jackets with the buckles in the back. So, I looked around Becher Haus and came to a few conclusions about what that gin-soaked British witch Clementine has been keeping me from, besides regular and emotionally cleansing blogging (these are in no particular order):

-organized closets

-freshly ironed linen kitchen towels

-mopped and polished floors

-books on actual bookshelves, not stacked in piles all over the haus

-having a cleared-for-use island in the kitchen

-using my fountain pen collection to write actual letters to actual humans on actual paper

-knitting naughty lingerie... a fetching cashmere garter belt, to put a name on it

-finishing up five... or possibly twelve (excavation unearths more every day) quilt tops

-playing with silk and vintage velvet-it was going to be Christmas ornaments, once upon a time

-learning Japanese so I'll know what my kids are saying about me behind my back

-spending time with said children, and teaching my 15yr old to drive a stick (daddy's Jeep, NOT my car!)

-hanging out with my knittahs in coffee houses, and getting back to knit group

-publishing my first quilt book, unless it kills me. this is a real hazard... there's no alcohol involved... yet

-jiu jitsu lessons with the family

-more belly dancing

-parties on the front lawn

-finally getting the dayum dawg to come when she's summoned

-getting the cat to stop sleeping on the dining room table and drinking out of the bidet

-setting up patrols around the perimeter of the bed to keep dust buffaloes out from underneath

-finally getting enough sleep because I won't have the financial burden of the shop slowly eating away at my guts

See? I won't die of boredom. With as slow as things have been lately, especially these past few months, it's not like I'm leaving a huge hole in the fabric of society. A brick and mortar store is far more maintenance than a simple online shop, but the idea of making Clementine's a pack-and-ship shop makes me gag a little, so, no. Just no. You mean well, but I have precious few good years left in me. I sure as shit ain't spending them stuffing boxes and taping them shut. I was in love with my little store. It felt good to walk in and soak up all the happy, but sometime last year it became a chore. I'll miss my fabulous customers, but I'll also have one helluva stash to play in here at home. One door closes, another one opens, blah, blah, blah...

you get the picture.

stick a fork in it...

it's done.

Clementine is for sale. As both a wanton, and a lush, she finds herself in need of a new keeper. Just want the fabric? The yarn? It can be arranged, and very cheaply, since her current mistress finds herself in the throes of panic almost daily due to the demands of homeschooling five children, an omnipresent laundry pile, unfinished projects, and the morning mouse (a short but disgusting tale of home owner woe... suffice it to say, there's body disposal to be done every damn day).

If you are interested, please feel free to call the shop Wed-Sat, 11 to 5. The 'Camilla-walks-away-from-it-all' price is very low, unlike her blood pressure. It seems I'm not at all cut out for the demands of marketing... I just like to make stuff. That's where my happy is, so there I will return. The rest of it, the grueling part, is over for me. I have a mental stop date of July 1st, unless things pick up remarkably quick... but I'm still out. It'd just be nice to have our girl Clemmie running some decent numbers for her new sugarmomma.

string's the thing

Yesterday:

Today:

Yep. You got that right. And some are even hand-wound (ow, not ooh)balls due to the uncooperative nature of the hundred inch hank and my swift's lack of circumference. Huh. That sounds dirty, even to me...
moving on...

New 'Lorna's Laces' colors. Sock yarn makes me giddy. Along with yon sweater kit from up top came a few yummy skeins of handpaint tweed sock yarn, as seen below. I covet one in particular. Might even have moved it into my stash. Newsletter thwarting me mightily. Must go throw something and then haul dinner home to chirruns... back later. *mwah*

breaking the silence

Wow. Who knew I could shut up for over a month? Sometimes I even amaze myself. Not so amazing, though, when you lose your words. Melly's son dying kind of pushed that situ over the edge for me. She and Ken were so beautiful at Justin's memorial service. He was an amazing kid, smart and sarcastic and nearly sincere in his proposal of marriage to me over my cheesecake and mac 'n cheese. My heart still aches for the empty place he leaves in his family, but the boy who had all the odds stacked against him from the word 'go' packed a whole lot of life into his 22 short years. The urge to rail against God, fate, the universe... it's a common reaction. Seeing Melly accept what couldn't be fixed and knowing she's strong enough to keep breathing... that was amazing to see, but I hated that there wasn't any other choice for her. She's just not a crumble-to-the-ground person, and what good are tears when the damage is done, the loss has happened? I have a new and unexpected distaste for that saying 'it's all over but the screaming'.

I probably started this post thirty times in my head, and never got past the first two sentences. Turning 40 hasn't brought me any wisdom and illumination, unless you count the extra silver my hairs are sporting. They seem damn illuminated...
No other news worth tappity-tapping about. It's been a quiet couple of months here at Becher Haus. I got bored with whisky and took up tequila. Amy, the Belly Dance Instructor Extraordinaire, has mentioned another performance in May, which is kind of soon for me, scarred as I am from my foray into the world dressed as a Village Person back in October. My sock habit has gone from bad to worse, as I now have possibly a dozen socks on needles. No biggie, you say? That's a dozen Second Socks that may never happen. Or, rather, nine. Three sets of two-at-a-time-toe-ups are on needles. So, there is a chance all will be well for them, given time and attention.

Attention. There's a word for the day. One of me and a whole lotta else. Starting to feel the pressure. Clementine has been a major pain in my arse since December, and I'm cracking under the strain. I sent a snarky e-mail to an equally snarky old man the other day, who complained about the store's newsletter. You know, the one with the 'safe unsubscribe' button at the bottom? Oh, and the e-mail list that the customer's have to sigh themselves up for? Yeah. I might have been less than complimentary... you want to see? Really? *sigh* Okay... if you insist...

Dear Mr. McCoy-
As I only use e-mail addresses provided to me by my customers, and have gained permission from all parties involved prior to putting a customer's address into my database, I am appalled that you are having difficulties with the newsletter. I send them out so infrequently, you see, but if another one should happen to darken and defile your apparently fragile 'inbox', you have only to scroll to the bottom and click on the 'safe-unsubscribe' link.
It's really that simple. My apologies for your distress.
Camilla Becher
Clementine's Dry Goods

See? Sense the restrained shitty? Yeah, I've had a few months of that. I love my customers, I love having a place to let color and ideas run wild, but I'm about all out of happy with the economy, and crabby old farts, and lib-tards. uh-oh... insert ranty bit here...
If you're a Democrat, I apologize for the slam, but it's not about you. I'm pointing out a problem I have with Some Others... those people who forget we have a political system in place where we get to express ideas and vote and do all kinds of fabulous things, and here's a Newsflash(!!!)- we don't have to agree, and that doesn't make me an ogre simply because I don't believe in welfare programs and I think the military deserves way the hell more money to pay soldiers. Just. Back. Off. We aren't changing each others minds, and though I can accept that, and value you for your humor and thoughtfulness and creativity anyway, you get to be close-minded and throw me under a bus whilst feeling self-righteous and, to my surprise, 'open-minded'. This is my blog, where I get to be indignant and pissy and vent all the things I rarely get to say to actual humans, though the rant you just read has flown out of my mouth several times over the past two years. I'm a go-with-the-flow kind of person. My best drinking buddy is a huge Democrat, and that's not just 'cuz she's tall. I like people with convictions. I just wish more people weren't so programmed with intolerance. Strangely, more of it comes out of the Other camp, if you feel me.

Now, I was supposed to have a hot date with lil' friend Susan tonight, but a co-worker decided to have labor pains, so she'll be slaving away at her Starbucks instead. Justin Moore is in concert April 2nd. I'm in need of a country music fan to endure it with me, as Herr Becher just looked at me as if I'd sprouted a third ear when I asked him. Time to hit the elliptical for a 60 minute torture session, then some of those new, illuminated gray roots are screaming for a touch-up. l8r, kittens...

huh?

yeah, this is just an 'i'm not dead yet' kind of post. the camera took a vacay without me, and i have yet to locate the card reader on this here new computer, so it's not like i could show you pics or anything anyway. running on little sleep and fewer brain cells. planning a little mischief for a certain bookish pal...i don't think she's a blog follower over here, but until it all shakes out, i can't breathe a word.

yeah, that might kill me.

so, tomorrow is pajama-day. finally. i didn't think it would ever get here. this has been a shit-ass week for one of the sisterhood. we love you, t.w., and i know you're gonna rock the tank tops this summer, even without the ta-tas. prayers and belligerent rantings to all higher powers aside, i just know you're too damn stubborn to let cancer beat you. plus, you've got two beautiful babies and a good man who can't possibly let you go... not to mention the 'victoria's posse'. and we are all that and a bag of chips. use us as you need us. we bow to your will, and will you to get better!

i'll probably venture out with the becher babies later in the day, if the roads aren't too icy from the threatened snow what's supposed to fall and ruin our fun. need to get used to the unusual diatribes that have started coming out of youngest child's mouth... like this tidbit from last week...
(scene: the suburban, pulling into mcd's)
daddy: "who wants nuggets?"
peanut gallery: "me!", "Me", "ME, too!"
5th child: "not me. i need chicken with bones in it so i can build a yombie"

huh? who ever expects to hear their four year old plotting to build a zombie? and why does he not use Zs? oh, it's a tootsie-pop mystery... 'the world may never know'...

wonderland

So, the neighbors prolly think I'm insane (well, duh), but this morning's drive necessitated a few pull-over minutes... every vista was stunning. I took several shots, but this was especially nice, so I'm sharing it with y'all...

I did manage to get a 48 minute workout in this morning, and have the best intentions to get another one in this evening, since Herr Becher informed me via text (he just got a full keyboard. don't worry, he's catching up quick) that it's stuffed pork chop night. He's cooking.
He rocks.

Now I'm off to maybe sew some on the wonky log cabin quilt blocks, since sitting down isn't so wincy now. Today is the first day of the Knitting Olympics. My goal is to get the celtic knot tunic and two pairs of socks off needles... while listening to the Ting Tings. Makes keeping in pattern more of a challenge.

unfiltered

There are days, and there are days... like today, when even breathing seemed to put me in a pissy mood. It's those damnable newsletters that, oh, say, seven seconds after you hit 'publish', will reveal their dirty little secrets, like the wrong store hours, the lack of a date for a sale event, or just poor placement of written text...
and silently, you fume, cursing the gods of all that is unholy and electronic for not making you a better widget-mover/detail queen.

Then you stifle the urge to choke the next person who says you should send them out weekly.
As if I'm even allowed that much Xanax.

Other news of note: the new hoo-hoo seems to be healing up at the appropriate rate, and a launch date of mid-March has been approved by the surgeon. Not that I'm cracking a bottle of champagne over it, but as things go, some sort of fanfare will be expected. Someone kindly warn Herr Becher that there should at least be flowers...and steak. Mostly steak.

The weather since Saturday has wreaked vengeance on Clementine. She's discovered a new aptitude for tequila, and came home with a coffee mug from her favorite pub last night. I wasn't privy to the details, but she either charmed the bartender into the freebie, or we're looking at petty larceny here...

This week I made the mistake of committing to a 'fitness program'. *shudder*
Now I need to be off to sleep, if I'm to get up and ruin my day-full-of-promise with 45 minutes of cardio work in my scary basement. You go eat a cupcake. Then bring me one...

pre-surgery update, nombre dos

Hello, weekend. Glad you could make it.
What I'll be wearing...

And what I'll be playing with before-hand...

More 'wall' pics, but these are pre-glut, so bear in mind Clementine has way too much fabric and you should prolly come buy some. That's not a shameless plug for your hard-earned cash. I seriously just don't want to be crushed by bolts of cloth when the shelves give way...

pre-surgery update, numero uno

So, I've been a busy Frau Becher these past two days. The wonky log cabin was not just a passing fancy... it appears to have taken over my free time, as seen here:

this is 20 center blocks plus one round of wonk. I have since added the beginnings of round two. Looking like I might get it done this weekend, if tomorrow night's super-fun outing doesn't put me out of commission too long into Sunday, though I refuse to admit to ever getting hang-overs. Down here, we have the Paula Prass "flights of fancy" feature fabrics that finally arrived at the shop the other day. Good grief, but they were a long time coming...

totally worth the wait, though. I'm planning another quilt to show them off to their best advantage... maybe one of those 'candy bar' quilts...
Down here you'll see some specimens of the 'Timber' fabric collection. I was apparently having a retro, 1920's moment, because they are a whole lot of Arts & Crafts style wallpaper-inspired prints. Cuteness, though. Especially the tiny birds in the trees. How cute for wee baby things. Oh, you know you want some bird fabric...
don't even think about ignoring it...

I'm off to hit the sack now. Last night was a wash. A monster headache kept me from belly dance class last night *gasp* and tonight Herr Becher thought it sporting to take me out bar-hopping, then put me on the elliptical trainer whilst still tipsy.
Okay, it was way funner than normal, but really, is that a viable exercise option? We shall see...

snickity, snickity

ok. lots to get done before 'surgery day' on monday. just a quick little update to appease those of you sitting at your workstations trying to look busy whilst catching up on all your favorite crafty blogs. i am currently covered in thread snippets and have found an answer to my quilt block quandary. a man in north carolina has provided the visual i needed to push myself into getting a wonk cabin going. i'm using heather baileys's "nicey jane" fabrics in blue/green/yellow. young master eli saw the stack of fats and informed me, in his most solemn voice, that they needed to be on his bed, in 'a warm and soft quilt'. so, you look around over at mr.cary's blog; i have a pile of strips waiting my attentions...

Chez Moi?

C'est la chose que j'aime le plus.
The 'French-phrase-a-day' calendar Mandi's torturing me with this year informs me that that's the way to say "It's the thing I like the most". Right now, it seemed relevant. So many pretties here... the new 'Boutique' collection from Chez Moi...

It's Moda fabric, so bear in mind it cannot be re-ordered. Perfect for stashing, or for the stack&whack class Miss Deb's teaching in February.

Below, you will find a small sampling of Anna Griffin fabrics from the 'Isabelle' collection. Hoping to add more as space allows, but walking past the shelves makes me a little flinchy... full to groaning they are. I have one intrepid customer already planning to sew Amy Butler's 'Liverpool' dress in the pink/red/orange stripe. It's gonna be fabulous!

Here's a 'Serendipity Scarf' update. I tried to get it to pose with the new skully black & white fabrics that arrived two days ago, but there was pouting, and it threatened to drag itself along the floor and get full of dried slush-muck in front of the door. *deep sigh*
Just two more 'rows' to go, though I'm thinking of using up the wee bits and bobs of the sock yarns to grow it a little longer. One can't ever have too much color...

And, lastly, a peek into one of life's little mysteries. No longer will I need to question why my knitting sets off my allergies...

I'm going to need the super-sized sticky roller to clean that up...

Moving forward...

I proclaimed last year as my 'year of living dangerously'. Travel, yoga, pub-knitting with whiskey (NOT for the faint-of-heart, trust me!), and belly dancing were the add-ons to my sedate life last year.
What? You think yoga clothes weren't frightening? Shows what you know. I scare myself in those gawd-awful pants!
Anyway, I'm continuing the theme for 2010, 'cuz there's more pub-knitting to be done, and more muscle groups to master. I found a truly awesome spectacle on youtube today, so now...
I have BIG plans for 2010. Check it out.
I've also decided to branch out in the knitting arena. Though I hope/fervently pray to finish up the countless pairs of socks currently on needles, I decided I'd commit to an actual 'garment'. So, the day after Christmas, while the kids were still jacked up on cookies/candy/new video games, I busted out the frogged 'February Lady' sweater, reclaimed the yarn, and casted on this...

Sporting not one, but TWO of these Celtic beauties, and stretching my attention span far more than is comfortable, or even safe, the reclaimed yarn is becoming a freakishly soft knitted 'sweatshirt', with the cables providing shaping at either side of the waist...
Yeah, like I have one of those...*snort*
But there you have it. A sample of what's up with me this year. Oh, and since I have to turn 40 (shudder) this year, and my favorite local band ever is playing a mere 4 days before the dreaded event at The Juke Box in town, I might even find myself up on stage belting out a country tune.
Nothing like a little stage fright to keep it real.

little bits of happiness

I spent yesterday dusting and rearranging bolts of fabric. Robin aka 'Austen'(currently of 'why is the rum always gone?' fame) came in to assist and succeeded in convincing me to overhaul every single shelf-full. Seriously a slave-driver, that little missy. In a few days I might put up fabric wall pics. If you are a well-behaved lot of ruffians.
In the meantime, here's a photo-essay of the happy that has come in the past week. They are (top to bottom) Denyse Schmidt's 'Hope Valley', ibid, Heather Bailey's 'Nicey Jane', and more of the same. The Hope Valley collection is complete. The Nicey Jane is slightly over half here... where the hell is my super-cutie UPS man, anyhow? He may be toting the rest around. Stay tuned, crafty chicas...