LOOK WHAT THE POSTMAN JUST BROUGHT!

Sorry, I'm just a posting fool today, huh! :) I'm just trying to make up for lost time, I guess. Anyway, I just finished posting about my "award", and was settling in to start on my "real work", when lo and behold, I looked out and the postman was walking up to my door with a package in his hand. Oh, how I love packages, especially if I suspect they're for me! :) 

Well, I ripped the box open and pulled out the goodies inside, and here is what I got.

This is what I ordered from Joann's, in response to Gloria's request for help in making squares for her IC Awareness Afghan. Okay, so I don't really need ALL those hooks to crochet the squares, but they had a good deal on them, and I couldn't resist. I had never used the bamboo-handled hooks until I tried the one Gloria sent me in my "goodie box". I absolutely love it, so rather than put these on my Christmas list, I went ahead and bought them.

Okay, Gloria, I'm ready for the gauge, hook size, etc.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

THANKS SO MUCH FOR THINKING ABOUT ME!

 
 
I received an award from two of my very sweet blogging buddies, Sally at Suburban Hooker and Bev at One Yarn After Another.
The rules for accepting this award are fairly simple.....

It is my mission to reveal 6 things about myself that you don't know, then award it to six other gorgeous bloggers.
Now to try to dig up some old skeletons out of my closet . . . . .

1. I spent over two years of my life fighting anorexia. GO FIGURE!
2. I played sports like a boy and could've probably been the first female to play quarterback for the OU Sooners! Seriously, I could throw the ball farther and more accurately than any of the guys I ever played with.
3. I bowled my first 200 game when I was 9.
4. I really, REALLY dislike people who say mean and hurtful things behind other peoples' backs.
5. I don't desire great wealth, but I would like to have enough money to be able to retire comfortably and do things for abandoned babies and animals.
6. I could eat Mexican food for every single meal. (See #1, and this is why it was only 2 years!) :)

I am now passing this on to:
Gloria at Hooked On Yarn
Pammy Sue at Scotty's Place
Kaitlyn at The World According To Kaitlyn
Janet at Janet Happy Girl Has Happy Hook
Kathy at Kathy's Crochet Cabin
Carolyn (come out of hiding) at The Kansas Hooker

MAKIN' GRANNIES AT WAL-MART!

Hi, Ya'll!  Hope everybody's week is going well so far. Hey, I wanted to tell you about my trip to Wal-Mart yesterday. I'm sure you have all seen those recent emails called "People of Wal-Mart". I think there are at least three editions so far. Well, I don't want to offend anybody, but truly, some of those characters who are supposedly shopping at Wal-Mart just HAVE to be actors! I mean, you've got the dudes in the tight, crotch-grabbing spandex, and the "large" women with their cracks showing as they're bending over the produce, and the wanna-be "Miami Ink" stars who are tatooed from the tips of their earlobes, down to their little pinky toes!

Well, yesterday, I could have easily been one of those "People". I was way overdue getting my oil changed and tires rotated, so I thought I'd stop off at Wal-Mart to get that done and maybe get a little shopping done. The grumpy guy at the automotive checkpoint said it would be about an hour, so I went inside, grabbed a basket and headed off to points unknown. I really needed to do a little grocery shopping, but alas, the yarn aisle was calling my name. My husband has grounded me from buying more yarn, so of course, I was just going to "browse". I happened to find some really neat, soft Bernat baby yarn, and I was struck with a marvelous idea. I tossed a few skeins in my basket, along with some Peaches and Cream "Peppermint", a package of hooks, and I even found a "how-to" beginner's book on knitting, which will be the topic of a later post.

Anyway, rather than head to the groceries, I whipped my basket around and headed straight back to the automotive department. I paid for my goodies and plopped myself down in the waiting area, alongside a couple of good ol' country boys who were reading mechanic magazines. Okay, if you're addicted to crochet like I am, then what I did next will not surprise you in the least. But, my sister and oldest daughter claim they don't know me when I tell them about my crochet antics. :) Anyway, out popped a skein of yarn and the package of hooks, and I decided to just bide my time, working on a granny square and see how much I could get crocheted before my car was ready. Got the vision? Fat lady, sitting in the automotive department with a couple of "real men", fingers flying feverishly, while being watched constantly by the young girl behind the counter, who FINALLY got up the nerve to ask me what I was making, and if I always took my crochet with me on my visits to Wal-Mart! I kept grinning to myself, thinking how silly I must've looked, but you know what? I didn't care. I was able to use all three colors, and I was pretty pleased with what I got done, while hanging out in the automotive department waiting room.  I guess I'll just keep going on it and give it to someone with a new baby.

I also took some pics of these little scrubbies that I made over the weekend. They're super fun to make and quick and easy! My husband even asked if he could have the purple one, so I know I've done something good when he comments on my crochet. :)  I'll post the link to the pattern later today.

EDITED TO ADD:  Here is the link to the dish scrubbies. Again, super quick and fun to make, although I would've rather used nylon scrubbies, versus the copper. I have a hard time finding the nylon ones around here, though. (Maybe I should have done a little more shopping at Wal-Mart! :)

 http://suzies-yarnie-stuff.blogspot.com/2007/03/my-scrubber.html

CHEESY POTATO CORN CHOWDER

I had some requests for my soup, so I thought it might be easier to just post the recipe. I've made this for many years and have yet to find anyone who didn't ask for seconds. It is so easy to make and works up very quickly. My baby sister always requests this soup and especially when she's got the sniffles. In the past, if I've had difficulty finding Mexican Velveeta, I've just used regular Velveeta and added a little Tabasco. A couple of times I added some crispy bacon pieces, which gives it that baked potato flavor and besides, what's a few more calories?! :)  If you've got a big stockpot, you can easily double the recipe. It's always better the second day (if there's any left over!) :)  Enjoy!

2 tablespoons margarine

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped onion

2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth

3 cups peeled and cubed potatoes

1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn

1 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles

1 (2.5 ounce) package country style gravy mix

2 cups milk

1 cup shredded Mexican-style processed cheese food

1. In large saucepan, melt margarine over medium high heat. Add celery and onion; cook and stir until tender, about 5 minutes.
2. Add chicken broth; bring to a boil. Add potatoes; cook over low heat for 20 to 25 minutes or until potatoes are soft, stirring occasionally.
3. Stir in corn and chiles; return to boiling. Dissolve gravy mix in milk; stir into boiling mixture. Add cheese; cook and stir over low heat until cheese is melted.

I GOT TAGGED BY HUNTER!

THIS IS HOW I FEEL TODAY AFTER VISITING MY TAX CONSULTANT!

I snitched these questions from Hunter’s blog (at her persistent requests)  :)


A - Age: 51


B - Bed size: King, Sleep Number (I LOVE my bed!!)


C - Chore you hate: Anything in the bathroom


D - Dog's names: Maximus aka Max and Mini aka Minimus


E - Essential start your day item: Coffee from my Keurig


F - Favorite color: Most days it’s red, but today it’s BLACK!


G - Gold or Silver: Gold to sell, silver to wear


H - Height: 5’8” and shrinking daily


I - I am: Sick at my stomach after meeting with our tax consultant


J - Job: Medical coder


K - Kids: 2 darling daughters, Hunter, 10, and Ryanne, 27 (yeah, I know I was insane!)


L - Living arrangements: Home in far south OKC with Hunter, Hubby, and 2 Greyhounds


M - Mom's name: I called her “Mom”, but her name was Shirley, named after Shirley Temple


N - Nicknames: Big Sis, Cro-Mama


O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: Complications from tonsillectomy, pilonidal cyst, pneumonia, shattered left leg, gallbladder, and two hospitalizations with baby Hunter


P - Pet Peeve: I have quite a few, but today the one on my mind is my husband setting his alarm clock an hour before he’s ready to get up and having to hear the radio come on every 7 minutes until he turns it off.


Q - Quote from a movie: From “Twilight” – “Better hang on tight, Spider Monkey!” (Edward to Bella before he dashes up a tree with her hanging on his back. I don’t know why that cracks me up so much!)


R - Right or left handed: Right, but I deal cards left-handed and sometimes eat with my left


S - Siblings: One baby sister, Tammy, age 45, OKC police officer


T - Time you wake up: Whenever my husband’s alarm goes off (See “P” above!)


U- Underwear: Always! I think my daughters call them “Granny Panties”!


V - Vegetable you dislike: BEETS! (ugh, makes me shiver just thinking of them!)


W - Ways you run late: Trying to get Hunter ready! Oh, and playing on the computer when I’m supposed to be getting myself ready.


X - X-rays you've had: I was very athletic as a youngster, yet very clumsy. I think I was up to 16 broken bones before shattering my left leg in a horseback-riding accident. Therefore, lots of x-rays!!


Y - Yummy food you make: Cheesy Potato Corn Chowder (leave me a comment if you’re interested, and I’ll send you the recipe)


Z - Zoo favorite: Monkeys, and white tigers, which our zoo doesn’t have.


I think just about everyone in my little blogging world has been tagged. If not, and if you'd like to snag these questions, feel free. I love to read everyone's answers!!


I'm off to sulk now. NOT good news from the tax guy. But, heck, it's only money, right? I'll be back tomorrow, hopefully with a happier face on.

HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYBODY!!!

I'm back finally, after a crazy week! I kept peeking in on your posts, but didn't have time for much posting of my own. While working from home, I took breaks every now and then and got a little crocheting done and here are some pictures to show you.

HUNTER, MODELING FIRST TRY AT FINGERLESS MITTS (AND MATCHING BEANIE)

HUNTER, AGAIN, MODELING DIFFERENT PATTERN OF FINGERLESS MITTS

HUNTER, ONE MORE TIME, GLADLY MODELING THIRD PAIR OF MITTS

I've been inspired after seeing all the neat patterns for fingerless gloves/mittens, so I thought I'd give 'em a try. They're fun to make and super easy. For the life of me, I can't recall where I obtained the patterns, and I'd really like to give the designers credit. I'm bad about doing a copy/paste in Word, then forgetting where I was. I apologize, and I promise to do better. Anyway, I wanted to post pictures of these, in spite of my husband, who really dislikes fingerless gloves. My husband, who will eat and drink just about anything put in frong of him, rates his dislike up there with "green noodles" and Starbuck's new instant coffee. The "green noodles" were a dish I made early in our marriage that he detested, but was afraid to say anything until months later, after the honeymoon had worn off! As for the Starbucks-To-Go, he was NOT impressed and said the concoction tasted something like swill. (I'm not sure what swill is, but he uses the term to describe anything that tastes disgusting!)

STOCKINGS FOR PUPPIES AND KITTIES

As you can see, my other little project this week was to make Christmas stockings for all the fur kids in our family. I think I decided that I will need 13, so I have a few more to make. But, this is what I got done in a couple of days. The bright colors were inspired by Lucy at Attic 24. If you haven't yet experienced Lucy's remarkable blog, please check it out!

PRACTICE SQUARE FOR GLORIA!!

And, finally, in my collage of pictures, I thought I'd show you a practice square I made last night, just to see if I could follow the pattern. Gloria, from Hooked on Yarn One Stitch At A Time, is going to put together an "Awareness Afghan" for Joe Daczko, of Mantua, Ohio, who will be running a race and representing those people who suffer from Interstitial Cystitis. Check out Gloria's blog for all the details. I volunteered to help with the squares, so I thought I'd better practice before starting the real thing. :)  I didn't realize that filet patterns were so much fun!!

So, I hope you all are having a fun-filled and relaxing weekend. My poor Sooners lost again yesterday . . . to TEXAS, of all teams, so I was sad about that. But, it's just football, right? Life goes on, I suppose. :) 

See you all soon!

MEETING MYSELF, COMING AND GOING!

Happy Sunday evening, Everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful and relaxing weekend. I was pretty darn busy, and it seems like the weekend got away from me somehow, but that's quite the norm these days.

I'm mainly writing at this late hour just to let you all know that I will be doing more lurking this coming week and less commenting and participating. My work situation is really crazy. I actually have two bosses right now. My boss, Mary Jones, owns her own medical coding company. I've been doing contract coding work for her since 2005. Back in April of this year, we lost our largest contract, mainly due to the sucky economy. With the loss of that contract also came a tremendous loss of income for me. I went for over a month with very little paid work, although I sure got a lot of crocheting done. :)  Unfortunately, we are not wealthy by any means, and we have to have two incomes to survive, so I had to find more permanent employment. I was hired by a company called Phycon, Inc., which specializes in medical coding and billing for emergency room physicians all across the US. I've been working for this company for three months and love what I'm doing. The best benefit is that I'm allowed to work from home, and that goes a long way to make up for the huge cut in pay I had to take.

Well, anyway, my other boss, Mary, got a call from one of our former clients who had not used our services in over a year. This client asked Mary if I could come out to do their coding Oct. 12-16, while one of their coders goes on vacation. Mary, bless her little pea-pickin' heart, didn't have the nerve to tell this lady that I now have a REAL job, but instead, she said, "Sure, Keri will be happy to fill in for you that week!"

So, when Mary told me about the plans she had made for me, I had to go in to my current boss and eat humble pie. I explained the situation to her, and also explained that I could really, REALLY use the extra money for Christmas. So, she said it would be okay for me to work both jobs this week, and that she would try to insure that my work load would be a little lighter than usual.

Needless to say, I have a VERY full week ahead of me. I doubt I'll get much computer time, but I will do my best to read everything you all write. I just may not get to comment as much as I'd like. I'm sure Hunter will take up the slack for me! :)

By the way, thanks to all of you who have written to Hunter and have been so kind to her. She's having a ball, messing with her blog and making new friends. You all are the best!!! 

I MISS YOU, MOM

SHIRLEY CREW

BELOVED MOTHER, GRANDMOTHER, DAUGHTER, AND FRIEND

SEPTEMBER 16, 1934 - OCTOBER 8, 1996

Mom behind her desk at work. She hated having her picture taken, but she actually liked this picture and gave it to me as a gift one year.

KERI'S BIRTHDAY AT ESKIMO JOE'S

AUGUST, 1996

This is me on the left, my sister, Tammy, and Mom. It was taken about two weeks before she went into the hospital for the last time.

Okay, before you all get your tissues out, I'll let you know right up front that this is not meant to be a sad and dreary post. I hope I got that nonsense out of my system about three weeks ago, on Mom's birthday. My post today is simply to let everyone know that I miss my Mom terribly, and I want you all to know what a wonderful, loving, generous, funny, and caring person she was.

Mom was born on September 16, 1934, in Healdton, Oklahoma. She was an only child, due to the fact that her parents divorced when she was 5, and my grandmother never remarried. She, instead, devoted the rest of her life to Mom and to my sister and me after our arrival.

Mom was very popular as a teenager and looking back at her highschool yearbooks, it seems she was just about "Miss Everything". She was the band majorette, she was homecoming queen, she sang in the glee club, she presided over the Student Council, and she was voted "Miss Healdton High" her senior year. Due to limited funds, rather than go off to college, Mom attended secretarial school in Oklahoma City. After graduation, she was hired at Pan American Petroleum Company. That is where she met my dad, Ken. In 1952, they were married. Six years later, yours truly was born. (Me!)  In 1964, my sister was born, and our family was complete.

I look back on my childhood, and I could not have asked for anything more wonderful. My sister and I grew up in a warm and loving home, with two of the most incredible parents anyone could ever ask for. One week after my 16th birthday, however, my dad destroyed everything our family had come to enjoy. He left us "to get his life figured out", but we later found out that it was because of another woman . . . one that was about 10 years older than me. They ultimately married, but that didn't last long, and he spent the next 10-15 years, searching. He went from job to job and woman to woman, but I think in reality, no one could compare to my mother, and therefore, he never settled down with anyone again. Today, he is a hermit . . . sad and depressed, lonely and pitiful, who finds really nothing of joy in life except his liquor, cigarettes, and television.

Well, now that I got off the subject . . . . . . back to my mom. What a beautiful person she was. When my dad left, my mother's heart was broken, I think literally. She never got over the loss of her first true love, and years later, it was the failure of her heart that led to her demise.

Mom was not perfect. She had her flaws just like we all do. She would not put down her beloved cigarettes, which she started smoking when she was 16, back when it was okay and cool to do such things. After her heart failure resulted in three-vessel heart bypass surgery, she still continued to smoke those damn things. Her cardiologist finally sat her down and flat out told her, very bluntly, that she was going to die . . . soon . . . if she did not stop smoking.

Alas, she finally stopped. But, it was too late. The cigarettes contributed to her lung problems, which of course, exacerbated her heart disease. Ultimately, the cause of her death was attributed to a collapsed valve, which they said could not be replaced because of the poor condition of her heart and lungs. I mentioned in my post on Mom's birthday (Sept. 16) that I took her to the hospital on September 16, and after three weeks in the ICU, she very quietly passed away on October 8th, 1996.

I don't really know how to explain it, without it sounding cold and callous, but I was somewhat relieved when the nurse told me that Mom was gone. She was dependent on a ventilator, and was being fed through a stomach tube. By the end, I don't think she recognized us, and we were unable to really communicate with her. I know Mom would not have wanted to live like that. So, it was somewhat of a blessing to know that she wouldn't have to suffer anymore.

So, today is not as difficult for me to get through as you might expect. It's always there, in the back of my mind, like a really scary movie or a horrible nightmare, but after all these years, I prefer now to focus on the beautiful person my mother was, and to remember her generosity and her love for my sister and me, her grand-daughter, Ryanne, and all her furry friends.

Thank you for letting me share with you. It's good therapy for me to express my thoughts, and I hope I didn't bore you or depress you too much. I would just like to end by saying that I hope all of you tell your family and friends you love them often, give them hugs whenever you can, and be patient and understanding, even though it's incredibly hard sometimes.

I'VE CREATED A MONSTER!!

Thank you so much to those of you who checked out Hunter's blog and signed on as followers. She is so excited and already so addicted. (Maybe that's not such a good thing, huh?) :)  She mentioned this morning that she loves blogging and "meeting" all her new friends, and it even keeps her off Club Penquin, which is really something.  She has been busy checking all her posts to see if there are new comments, and I think she is writing comments back if she can find who left the comment.

Anyway, I just wanted to say "thanks" for being so friendly and accomodating.

FAVOR

To all my Blog buddies:


My daughter, Hunter, has created her own blog. She got really interested after reading a lot of your blogs and comments to my blog. I mildly encouraged her, just because I thought it would be good practice for her, learning new things about the computer, plus getting some writing experience. (She definitely needs help with her spelling and grammar.) Well, she's got her blog, and she's excited about it, but she's disappointed because she doesn't have any followers except for her teacher and me. Our other family members don't have access to Blogger and are having trouble even leaving her coments.


I'm wondering if any of you would be willing to check out her blog and perhaps sign up as a "follower"? I don't really want her to search out other blogs on the internet, for safety reasons. But, I think I can trust all my crochet buddies. No obligation, and even if you do sign up to follow, there's no obligation to leave comments all the time. I just thought it might encourage her to keep up her online "journal". 


Hunter's blog is called A DAY IN THE LIFE OF THE BEAN.  She's pretty much all about PUPPIES right now, but I'm sure she'll move on to other things soon. :)  


Thanks for letting me share!

I SNITCHED AN AWARD

Good morning, All!  I visited Beansiebabbles this morning and snuck this award from her site. Not necessarily because I agree with what it says, but because I thought it would be fun to answer the questions. I, like Beansie, would like to pass this on to anyone who would like to participate. If you read this and would like to "swipe" the award and then answer the following questions, I would love for you to do so. I'd like to see how you answer them.





HERE ARE THE RULES:
1. You can only use one word to answer each of the following questions.
2. Offer this to your fellow bloggers
3. Alert them that you have given them this award.
4. Have fun!!!


Okay, on to the fun part!


1. Where is your cell phone?   unknown
2. Your hair?   messy
3. Your mother?   deceased
4. Your father?   depressed
5. Your favorite foods?   Mexican
6. Your dream last night?  forgot
7. Your favorite drink?  coffee
8. Your dream/goal?   thin
9. What room are you in?   office
10. Your hobby?  crochet
11. Your fear?   mirrors
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years?   alive
13. Where were you last night?   home
14. Something that you aren't?   rich
15. Muffins?   blueberry
16. Wish List Item?   retirement
17. Where did you grow up?   Oklahoma
18. Last thing you did?   breakfast
19. What are you wearing?   robe
20. Your t.v.?   off
21. Your pets?   adorable
22. Friends?   some
23. Your life?   short
24. Your mood?   fair
25. Missing someone?   YES
26. Vehicle?   Escape
27. Something you're not wearing?   make-up
28. Your favorite store?  yarn
29. Your favorite color?   red
30. Last time you laughed?  yesterday
31. Last time you cried?  awhile
32. Best friend?  Michelle
33. One place I go to again and again?  Dreamland
34. One person who emails you regularly?   Michelle
35. Favorite place to eat?   Alfredo's

SORRY I'VE BEEN BLOG-LAGGING

Wow, I created a new term . . . blog-lagging!  LOL  I like it! Anyway, I'm going to try to get on here tomorrow to update my blog and bring everyone up-to-date, but for now, since it's exactly 23 minutes until the OU Sooners - Miami Hurricanes kick-off, I'm going to be brief. Hunter and I and our best friends, Michelle and Kaitlyn, went to see my oldest daughter Ryanne today for some much-needed PUPPY TIME! I had not actually snuggled with them or seen them for a couple of weeks, other than the pictures Ryanne emailed me last week, which were in the previous post. So, I think we took close to 100 pictures today, all very cute, of course. I'm going to pick out a few of my favorites for your viewing pleasure. I know this is a crochet blog, but I just can't help myself. These puppies are just too darn cute to keep them hidden.

HUNTER DOING HER BALANCING ACT!

KAITLYN GETTING LOTS OF PUPPY LOVIN'

PILE OF PUPPIES

RYANNE AND HER FURRY FAMILY

Hope everyone is having a terrific weekend. Be safe, and I'll see ya'll tomorrow.

GO SOONERS!!!!!!!!!!!