Rachel's Ramblings

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Wow
2008-07-18 13:20:00
It's been almost a year. To make a long story short, I haven't had internet, but I'm back now! I'm also on Ravelry as dreamweaver238 and will hopefully get these patterns on the sidebar PDF'd soon, so you can download them as Word or PDF.I'm in hyper mode today so going to get things done! :)

Pictures!
2007-08-30 21:13:00
Finally got some pictures of things. First, of course, the knitting stuff: Those are the two baby blankies I have been working on for friends, and two washcloths I made for the girls to wash up with since school is here. Speaking of school, here's the first day picture: Don't they just look thrilled to death (I sure am...lol)? And, of course, bugs have to have a place in my blog: Now for the storms that blew thru here, at 80 miles an hour, on the 20th:My friend and babysitter had a tree fall on her house. I loved that tree, it was huge and old. It seems lightening hit right down the middle of it and split it four ways with the wind blowing like it was. On the way to take the kids to school, this tree was blocking the road.This is the trailer that tiger originated from. They've moved & it's for sale, but the porch blew off.This trailer down the road had a tree land on it, but no damage. It was like a mainland hurricane. More photos can be seen here. Ok, off to knit some more!
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Irritable
2007-08-20 21:05:00
Don't know why, but the last couple of days I've just been, well, pissy. Maybe when the kids start back tomorrow I'll be less stressed. Today is Kat's birthday, she's an old lady of seven. We all went up to the school to meet the new teachers the kids will be having, and to stop and say hi to their old teachers. We spotted the principal and both girls had to run up and hug him. Now, when I was I kid, I don't ever remember hugging a principal, as a matter of fact, he was to be avoided at all costs. Unless, of course, you were in trouble, then you slinked to his office with your head down just KNOWING you were going to get it! Theirs, however, just loves kids, you can tell, and he's very nice. I'm knitting the second baby blanket, then I have to knit a rug for the bathroom and maybe some afghans on the size 50's that Ariel sent me (thank you so much!!!). During one of the rains, the neighbor's cat found a frog, which I haven't seen in years around here. He's truly a frog, ...

Interest free living
2007-08-11 20:49:00
No, I am not referring to credit cards or debt. I'm referring to my life...lol The 'flatness' is here with a vengeance. I've been going up & down on the lithium, with my doctor's ok, so have recently upped to 300 mg. twice a day. I have absolutely no emotions. My friend called hubster up this morning and said, "Let's all jump in my van and go sixty miles away to Omaha to pick some stuff up from Bass Pro Shops!" Well, not exactly those words, but close enough. So we did. I felt like I was just there for the ride, nothing really got me all excited, even at BPS. And they even had a Starbucks! I bought a bottle of water and called it good. So, I'm thinking about cutting my 450 mg. in half again and take those twice a day instead. I'm so lazy lately! I really should clean my house, write out a pattern for you all and knit a swatch, and a host of other things, but I just don't wanna. I want my mania back, just not the anger that goes along with it! :P I refuse to go off of the Li...
More About: Living , Free , Interest , Ving , Eres

It's been so long
2007-08-09 22:05:00
And I have so many things I want to tell you, which is probably why I've been procrastinating so much. The lithium has done wonders. I no longer have too much of an agoraphobia, so I've been going out regularly. I've been knitting like crazy and hopefully will have some new patterns up soon. I've lost about ten pounds since going off the Seroquel and going to Ambien and Trazodone instead. The only bad thing about the lithium is that I seem to have lost most of my mania, so now I am getting lazy...lol I procrastinate a lot, like writing in my blog. Hopefully that will get better, although like I said, I'm gone a lot now so it may not be every day. Talk to everybody later! :)
More About: Long , Been

Bipolar Entry
2007-06-16 22:29:00
I am slowly, but SURELY, coming back to life. I have the Lithium to thank for it. I swear, this drug has seriously changed my life. I've gone out more in the last month than in the last five years! It's amazing. It not only works on the manic phases, but also on the depressive ones. I can also tell what phase I'm in and which one is coming on. I'm currently a bit manic, although nowhere near as "high" as I usually am. I'm a teeny bit depressed too, but that could just be normal. If you're bipolar or think you might be, talk to your doctor about this stuff. I have seen several people say that it has literally saved their lives. It's the oldest mood stabilizer, the safest, and still prescribed a lot today. And it's the only one I know of that works on both moods, generally the part of your brain that makes you bipolar. That's pretty cool, in my opinion. Anyway, I'm off to play Freecell. I'm on myspace if anyone wants to add me. Happy Saturday all!
More About: Bipolar , Polar , Entry

I've been tagged!
2007-05-26 18:09:00
Hope has tagged me with a "7 things" meme, so here goes!Each person tagged gives 7 random facts about themselves. Those tagged need to write in their blogs the 7 facts, as well as the rules of the game. You need to tag 7 others and list their names on your blog. You have to leave those you plan on tagging a note in their comments so they know that they have been tagged and to read your blog.1. I have never been able to blow bubbles with gum.2. I have always loved to play with bugs, and still do.3. I have really really weird dreams almost every night.4. I don't remember ever having a nightmare.5. I was a tomboy growing up.6. I am still a Southern lady (yes, the combination is possible!).7. Manners are very important to me, and are one of my pet peeves about customer service nowadays.I'm tagging:1. Knitnana2. Susan3. Ariel4. Knitting Rose5. Deb And, unfortunately, I can't think of anyone else right now.
More About: Tagged , Been

Busy busy
2007-05-22 17:34:00
I've been knitting like crazy lately. And making jewelry and stitch markers to put in my sometimes depleted shop. I'm on a few swap groups and they seem to love my jewelry, so I have to keep adding to make up for the things I'm swapping. I'm NOT complaining, mind you. I also decided to knit myself a tank top to wear while walking at the YMCA. It's going to be really cute, I think, but is, of course, taking a while. And then we've decided, hubster and I, that we need some of those MP3 armbands to wear while walking so we can take our music with us. So I have more to knit. And then, I decided I need some more 'shorty' socks to wear with my walking shoes. Yep, MORE to knit. And I occasionally like to wear socks to bed but can't stand anything on my toes, so now I need to knit some toeless socks. AND. I've done a swap on one of the groups for, get this, a five foot by five foot blanket. So, I'm going to be knitting my little heart out. Which is fine, I can do it ...
More About: Busy

Stealing a meme
2007-05-15 19:40:00
From Knitnana:Bold for stuff you've done, italics for stuff you plan to do eventually (oh, I used BOTH if I have done and plan to do again!), and normal for stuff you don't intend to do.AfghanI-cordGarter stitchKnitting with metal wireShawlStockinette stitchSocks: top-downSocks: toe-upKnitting with camel yarnMittens: Cuff-upMittens: Tip-downHatKnitting with silkMoebius band knittingParticipating in a KALSweaterDrop stitch patternsKnitting with recycled/secondhand yarnSlip stitch patternsKnitting with bananafiber yarnDomino knitting (=modular knitting)Twisted stitch patternsKnitting with bamboo yarnTwo end knittingCharity knittingKnitting with soy yarnCardiganToy/doll clothingKnitting with circular needlesBaby itemsKnitting with your own handspun yarnSlippersGraffitti knitting (knitting items on, or to be left on the street)Continental knittingDesigning knitted garmentsCable stitch patterns (incl. Aran)Lace patternsPublishing a knitting bookScarfTeaching a child to knitAmerican/Eng...
More About: Meme , Teal , Steal , Ealing , Stealing

I'm depressed today
2007-05-12 19:05:00
Had to pawn a couple of my rings since today is Alex's fifth birthday and we had to do something. I HATE pawning my wedding band. Everything else, I don't care, but that just irritates me. AND, according to the guy there, who tested it right in front of me, only the big diamond is real. All the channels are tanzanite. I bought the damn thing from Helzberg. He says they're famous for it. I don't know if I believe him or not, but when I get it back I'm taking it to my goldsmith. I trust him over anyone. Anyway, for both my rings, I only got $100, which, I guess, is less to pay back when I get them back.So. I'm kinda crabby today. We got Alex a cake and we're taking her to Pizza Ranch tonight. I'm listening to music I had Mark download for me in anticipation of getting a cheapo MP3 player (no Ipod for me...lol) with one of my credit cards (paper or plastic?). Plus the radio he put in the truck plays them. I like it, I can get most of my favorite songs from my cd'...
More About: Today , Esse , Depressed

I am so brain dead...lol
2007-05-10 21:56:00
I forgot to mention a couple things. Like the flood of our region. And the tornadoes, in which the freaking siren NEVER went off, which isn't good, considering we live in a mobile home. We were all fine with no damage, but, we live uphill, about a mile from the Nishnabotna river. Here's the pictures:http://www.kcsifm.com/photos/tor nado.pdfhttp://www.kcsifm.com/photos/floo ding%20may%207.pdfhttp://www.kcsifm.com/p hotos/flood%202.pdfhttp://www.kcsifm.com/ photos/aerial.pdfThey closed the highway right down the street, and at one point the river went over. Not much, but more rain won't be a good thing!AND. Get ready for some cursing & yelling. The meth-addicted b**** with kids in the trailer down the road had a cat. I don't let my kids go over there, because the stuff can get in the walls & all, I can only imagine the problems HER kids have. Anyway. She got this cat declawed and I'm assuming neutered. So, during all the rain, we go outside to smoke, and there's this poor kitty ...
More About: Dead , Brain

Life goes on...
2007-05-10 20:04:00
I've been grumpy lately. Come to find out, it was the Chantix. So, the shrink made me go off of it and I am now smoking again. I WILL quit, sometime. Grumpy is a bit of an understatement, I guess. Do you call smoke coming out your ears, fire breathing, siren yelling, red eyes grumpy? LOLMy birthday sucked, because I hate birthdays. The kids kept reminding me, though. They just wanted the cake.It's only the tenth of the month and we have ten dollars in the account. Don't know what we're going to eat and really don't care right now.I'm now a rep for Creative Scentsations candles. I love candles and think I'll love selling them. I'm also still doing jewelry & stitch markers for my Etsy shop, Charmed Stitches. We joined the Y, we've done the occasional walk & swim. I think I'm just bored today. Hungry, too...lol And before anyone asks, we make too much on disability for state assistance. Of course, they don't take into account the house taxes and bills that we HAD to p...
More About: Life , Goes

I'm getting very antisocial
2007-04-15 16:03:00
I don't know what's wrong with me, but on some of my groups I'm starting to feel a little fed up. There's one I belong to that you list items to swap & get credits for it, then you can use your credits to get other items. Well, I'm not that fast apparently, because if anything desirable is posted it's snatched up immediately. Then, yesterday, there was a credit auction, and two items I wanted were taken away from me because I don't have eight zillion credits to spend on a five dollar item. I'm not usually a sore loser, but this is getting old. And, for some reason, I'm just getting sick and tired of everyone's demands and needs. Do this, do that, can you help me with this, UGH! I feel like hiding most days. And to make it worse, I swear Alex is getting bad again. She's got the worst four year old attitude I've ever seen, and I know it's going to sound bad as her mother, but most of the time I don't want anything to do with her. I think I'll ask the dr. next time a...
More About: Anti

Happy Easter!
2007-04-08 17:37:00
I know I've been bad about posting, I will try to do better, I promise! I've had a couple of huge custom orders from my shop, kind of like swaps, and I should be doing that today. But, ya know, even God took a day off, and I would think he had more pressing things than I do. So I'm going to knit on a baby blanket for a while today then will decide if I want to work on the orders.Poshpoints has really pissed me off. I have 42 credits that I cannot log in to spend. I paid to ship those items out and one way or another, they're going to either let me spend them or they're going to pay me. Period. What a bunch of assholes.Anyway. I fired my last shrink, long story, but have a new one that's closer. He seems to think I may not be bipolar (!), but instead, adult ADHD with major depressive disorder. That would explain why I'm "manic" most of the time. So, we go back tomorrow to see if med changes are working and whatnot. Would be cool if I could get myself under control....
More About: Easter , Happy , Aster

Grumpy today
2007-03-24 18:36:00
Don't know why, I'm just grumpy and not too motivated to do "chores" today. I'm broke, no one is buying anything (probably because tax time is coming), and I just want to be left alone to do what I want to do. I'm making the girls some plastic canvas boxes to put their money in, I have a baby blanket in progress, and the ever-present chain maille.That's my 'project' table. That way I don't have to leave the couch too much. Ah well, I hope you're all in a better mood than I am.
More About: Today

Spring is in the air
2007-03-21 19:50:00
Well, first full day of spring and we're already having thunderstorms. Oh, this has been such a weird year.Meanwhile, in my fury induced mania yesterday, I made this:However, instead of blowing a gasket, I got even. Somehow they set my account to let me log back on. So I did. And posted two ads about how they were a scam. Thirty minutes and about 150 views later, they deleted them. Think I got my message across? But enough about poshpoints. They're idiots with a very lacking customer service, and I'm done with them.Anyway. If you like the bracelet above, keep an eye on my Etsy shop because I'll be making more of them, and some other things too. I can also do custom orders for jewelry or stitch markers (as many of you already know!). Allergy season is here already. I have itchy eyes and a snuffly nose and a cough. Blech.Off to make more chain maille, happy Wednesday all! :)
More About: Spring , Ring , The A

Scam alert
2007-03-20 20:24:00
Remember a few days ago I linked to Poshpoints? Things were going along good, I sold a few things and bought a few things. I convinced pretty much my whole family to sign up, and my mom and brother owed me money so they signed up also because I told them I would take points as opposed to the $$ they owed me. Would save them the headaches and I could SHOP, right? Wrong. Apparently they decided that I had sold myself something to get points and closed my account, with thirty something points in it. Now, if you go on their site, you can BUY points for like $1.35 Paypal or some such. DON'T. I am so glad I didn't buy points. If I had I would be reporting them to every BBB I could find. They can close your account whenever they feel like it and come up with some lame excuse why. AND, their customer service absolutely STINKS. They wrote me back, after I had inquired about what the problem was (I thought the site was down or something because I couldn't log in), and I quote, "...
More About: Alert , Scam

Not a good year so far
2007-03-20 14:26:00
Well, I'm manic today, can't think straight & keep running from one thing to the other. Oh well, at least I'm not harmful to myself or others.I've started a new baby blanket for the Eagles club. This will be number five or six. I'll try to get a photo sometime.The car broke, but we fixed it, the fuel pump AND the starter went out all at the same time. Sigh.Poshpoints decided to cancel my account due to fraudulent activity. WTF???? I'm one of the least fraudulent people I know! Check my Ebay feedback (dreamweaver238). So I'm fighting with them.Gotta bathe the dog today, she's been sick and stinks. And no, we only feed dry food to all of our animals, so she's not eating the recalled food.Have a good Tuesday everyone!
More About: Good , Year , T A G

It's been awhile
2007-03-17 19:19:00
I'm just blah lately. I've been focusing more on jewelry than knitting. I'm getting kind of antisocial for some reason.Like I said, I've been making LOTS of jewelry lately. I'm thinking of opening a second Etsy store to sell just jewelry instead of having it mixed in with my stitch markers. Leave me a comment & let me know what you think of the idea. I'll leave you with a photo of one of my favorite pieces so far. Have a good Saturday everyone! :)
More About: While , Been

Hubby now has an Etsy shop!
2007-02-24 01:20:00
He's really into airbrushing, so I had him make some t-shirts. Knitting, what else? LOL They're not the best but they're also not iron ons, they're done by hand, by airbrush. Check them out here. I almost totally removed everything from my shop, things weren't moving so I took a lot off & made some new. I made a couple of baby blankets, Alex needed one since her three year old rabbit rattle had about had it, and another one to give to the Eagles for next Christmas. Right now I'm making hubby a 'manly' bracelet, and will hopefully get some more stitch markers up soon. I am more than happy to do custom work also, so if you want something in particular & don't see it, let me know.Okay, now that this advertising medium is over, have a good weekend all! :)
More About: Shop , Etsy

My poor neglected blog
2007-02-16 16:13:00
Really, I've been making things. I just haven't felt like blogging about it. To be honest, I've been in a bit of a funk for about the last month. I haven't felt like managing the Sockret Pal swap either, and I really don't think I'll do it again. Anyway, I've started getting into more jewelry for my shop. I've also been learning chain maille, which is weaving with wire, or in my lazy case, jump rings. A lot of the folks I know who make it make their own jump rings, but I have enough equipment around my little trailer (knitting stuff, beading stuff, miscellaneous stuff) that I don't need more. Here's some photos of what I've been making, although not any knitting photos right now:And a closer view:Some of the other things:I've been making so much jewelry that I have callouses on my fingers! LOL Everyone keeps telling me I should charge more for this stuff, but I enjoy making it, so why? It's not like it's flying out of my shop at the current price anyway.Off to knit....
More About: Blog , Neglect , Poor

Holy COW
2007-01-30 16:58:00
Who would've thunk it? I have been almost swamped with custom orders since I opened my shop. I'm loving it, but not having a lot of time to knit. Mark's sweater is down to about halfway down the sleeves, and I'm wondering if I'll get it done before summer....lolOk, off to make jewelry, hopefully will get some photos posted soon! :)Happy Tuesday all!
More About: Holy , Holy Cow

Beads, beads, and more beads!
2007-01-27 01:48:00
These are the new additions to my Etsy shop:These bottom earrings are NOT as dark as they look, they're a silver filagree and I think they are too thin for the scanner. I've been busy!I also did a stitch marker exchange, and look what I got!These are from Karen,and these are from Mona! Aren't they pretty? Meanwhile, I have been knitting, I am now working on the sleeves of Mark's sweater:I scared myself and steeked the armholes a bit. I learned how to use my sewing machine real fast! LOLHappy Friday everyone!
More About: More , Beads

I have been bitten by the beading bug!
2007-01-21 23:18:00
I'm enjoying this so much, I'm now selling them on Etsy. I can make custom ones on demand, and these are the ones I currently have listed: I didn't see a whole lot of stitch markers anywhere that had charms attached, so I decided to fill a need! LOL And I went a bit lower on price than a lot of seen on there; they are only six dollars for four. I've seen some that were ten or twelve dollars for two, so I think these are a decent price.Yes, I am still knitting. I made this for a *certain* partner in crime, pretty much in the exact same color, too, and am still working on Mark's sweater. Have a good Sunday evening everyone! :)
More About: Been , Beading

Blocking board!
2007-01-18 18:57:00
I owe Kim big, this was her idea to get a puzzle mat & use it as a blocking board, and let me tell you, it works great for less than a third of the price!!!!!I FINALLY have all the tools to do lace! :)My swift came today from Paradise Fibers, and I highly recommend them. Super fast shipping and no hassles! And a great swift!Okay, off to knit some more...
More About: Board , Bloc , King , Block , Lock

No more lonely stitch markers
2007-01-18 18:13:00
These will be gifted. I'm finally getting the hang of it! :) The bottom two sets say "Knit" and "Purl", although the scan doesn't show it real well. Not perfect, but getting there!
More About: More , Mark , Lone , Lonely , Stitch

I'm going to cause UPS and USPS to go on strike!
2007-01-17 20:09:00
Via UPS this morning:I got sick of having things strung all over the living room, so I got these kids' storage cubbies from Wally world, and the wireless headphones in the next photo. Except for those, the rest of this came via mail:And opened:I received a jewelry making kit from the book club, yarn from Knitpicks, along with the Options needle set I've been hearing so much about, lace blocking wires from same, some Black Cohosh (for hot flashes), and a lovely bingo prize from Karen (bath fizzies and a washcloth). AND, Fedex should be coming also, Mark's waiting for a drill, I'm waiting for some kids floor puzzle mat things (to use as a blocking board). Mark also got a new electric razor from UPS this morning. So, now maybe I have enough tools to make stuff...lol
More About: Cause , Strike , Going , Goin

Whoooooooooo hooooooooooooooo
2007-01-16 22:15:00
Look what the mail lady brought today:I think I can find things to do! LOLI stole this from Knitnana's blog:You Are LavenderYou are a sweet person with a very soft personality.People become easily entranced with you. They seem to glow around you.You have a quiet energy that can keep you active late into the night.Even if you aren't the life of the party, you definitely keep the party going.What Color Purple Are You?

Crochet books for sale / trade
2007-01-16 16:53:00
Better homes & gardens white crochet - 80 pages - hardboundVictorian Lace Crochet - 95 pages - softcoverBetter homes & gardens Forever Favorite Crochet - 80 pages - hardboundCreative Crochet in a Day - 160 pages - hardboundOld Time Crochet made Easy - 191 pages - hardbound (a few pages came away from binding but still in book)24 hour crochet projects - 128 pages - hardboundCrochet for a quiet evening - 191 pages - hardbound Make offer, will accept some yarns for trade also.
More About: Books , For Sale , Sale , Trade , Roche

Birds, snow, cats and creativity
2007-01-16 15:44:00
Well. The title says it all! LOLHere's the scene from our front door Saturday morning:Don't those poor little birdies look COLD? And yes, I know, we need to take the Christmas lights down.Thursday, we took poor Buddy in to get a few things removed; claws & um, boyhood things. He was a hurting unit when he came home Friday.I've decided I want to try making stitch markers & jewelry. I'm still waiting for a tool kit, but I managed to make one (yes, ONE!) stitch marker and a couple of bracelets for the girls. I didn't get a photo of the bracelets before they went off to school this morning, but I'll get one later. Meanwhile, here's the lone stitch marker:I've been working on Mark's sweater exclusively. I want to get it done for him while it's still winter! LOL And the UPS guy came yesterday to drop off a package and just ranted & raved about his scarf, how much he liked it and how everyone comments on it. Gave me a big ole warm fuzzy! Here's the sweater in progress:I'm doing...
More About: Cats , Creativity , Snow , Birds , Bird