rrrrrrip

I have been reconstructing boxes and packing them and packing clothes and I have a cute little pile in the corner of our room.  Tonight we spent an hour trying to install fluorescent lights in the bathroom, that was largely successful in the end, but not worth the frustration it brought with it.

I am almost finished with the first monkey sock, I am not sure it looks like a monkey, but I will dub thee Monkey nonetheless.  No pictures, I’m too lazy and tired.  Maybe tomorrow.  I am off to maybe finish.  Maybe someday.

redoing my living space…whee!

Okay, so we’re moving to a new apartment in two weeks but we’re still redoing our living space.

This is the bedroom set we bought yesterday. My mom sent Mirko a gift card to Kohl’s (her favorite store…and mine, if it were closer) yesterday, so we went there and they had a bunch of discontinued comforter sets. This one was a queen 24 piece – a full set of cream colored sheets, pillow cases, Euro pillow shams, regular pillow shams, a neck pillow, a square pillow, a comforter, valances and curtains with tie backs, and a dust ruffle. It was originally 359.99, but it was marked down to 125.99, and then the woman who pulled it down for us told us to tell them at the front that she said to mark it down an extra 10% because the bag was ripped to shreds, and it was the last one. So we wound up getting it for about 113.00, plus tax. The curtains aren’t up yet, I’m not doing those until I get to the new apartment.

And THEN, in my mission to buy euro sized pillows for my euro sized shams, I found some deep red towels, and JCPenney had everything buy 1, get 1 for 1.00, so I got two pillow, two towels, two hand towels, and two washcloths. They had bath rugs and toilet-seat covers, but I said, ehhh no. So instead, I went back today and got them (yes, I’m silly).

My new bathroom! It’s coming with me to the new apartment, hehe. I looove red, and the husband likes the color too, so whee! Then I spent some time cleaning, wound up taking some paint off the walls with my magic eraser, but after that, cleaned up pretty good in the bathroom. The rest of the room is still a disaster, and I still don’t have boxes to pack, and Staples is selling them for 25.00/box of 10 boxes (and that’s not big boxes either), and U-Haul has them 2.35/box, so I wasn’t going to buy any.

Grr! Two more weeks!

seven eleven

Makes me want to get a Slurpee.  No, I’ve never had a Slurpee.  I’m just told it should make me want one.  It’s my husband’s birthday.  He’s 23 today, and I told him he’s getting old, needs a walker, adult diapers, and Geritol.  His birthday also means TOUGH LUCK for my diet.  Today I ate (and this is just after I got home from work at almost 5:00) – stuffed chicken, rice, shrimp kabobs, and pizza.  Oh, and wine.  But I could drink wine all night and not care.  I’m also in the process of spending more money on Artsy Yarn.  I shouldn’t.  But oh well!  It’ll be the last treat to myself in a while, and the sale ends at the end of July, and my next paycheck after Friday will come too close to the end of July and moving to justify it.  Which means, I just clicked submit for some Seychelles superwash merino sock yarn, and Summer Vacation superwash merino/tencel sock yarn.  I’m addicted.  Seriously though, after this order, I need to stop for a while.  I’ve got a book to buy, a car to buy (okay, that’s a loan, but STILL), rent is going up, et cetera et cetera.  I married young, and I’m in it for the long haul, but there are days where I remember how easy it was back in my parents’ house.  It’ll be easier some day…but lately, it’s been a little hard financially.  I’ve cut back a LOT on the yarn, but still. Le sigh.

vindicated.

There is absolutely nothing better than making shrimp alfredo and having my husband say, “This is better than Red Lobster!”  Yes, I feel vindicated.

In knitting news, I have started the Pomatomus socks from Knitty.  Using Artsygal Handpaints, of course.  I am so addicted to her yarn, it is beautiful and a dream to work with.  I will be asking for it for my birthday in November.  Or, just money to buy it with so my husband doesn’t realize that yarn isn’t as cheap in the States as it is in Peru.  Like, “Athena, here is 200 dollars for yarn, go nuts!”

 Updating my blog is a lot more fun ever since I switched from Blogger.  Oh yeah, I switched yesterday.  Still, more fun.

And everyone go buy from Artsy!

I have been told I am making shrimp alfredo today.

My husband tells me yesterday, “Tomorrow! We are going to cook.”  Which means my mother in law is not cooking and I am.  He boils the pasta.  I cook.  How unfair this life may be…

I don’t really mind.  We are moving July 28th, then coming back here the day after to CLEAN in hopes of getting our deposit back.  Will not be a fun weekend, but I have to start packing soon.  As in, now.  My husband is helping his mother packing as we speak.  I’m being lazy.  How unusual?  Not really.

 And the air conditioning is not making me cooler.

Buh.

I have finished the socks. The tofutsies socks. …

I have finished the socks. The tofutsies socks. Orange and pink and purple. The first one is a total mess, but a mess in ways only I or a fellow knitter would notice, after I weave in the ends. My husband says they are “fine” and debunked my notion to create a THIRD sock to the pair, a THIRD sock that is not so messy. (What happened is, I tried to sewn bind off, made a mess of it, have a bind off that’s still a bit too tight, then realized I had two major dropped stitches and was so mad at that point I did a messy crochet pick up then just tied a big ol’ knot. Smart thinking, Athena! My skills are far above this sock.)

The messy, evil sock. Ends are not woven in.

The good sock. Ends not woven in.

Both socks. My carpet.

It’s made out of Tofutsies, not sure of the colorway. It was supposed to have 50 stitches on each sock, and I think the second one had the right number, but I had like 22 on the first needle and 28 on the second (somehow?). I have about half the ball left.

I started the first sock about three weeks ago and finished just now. Whee!

I have far too many works in progress. Swatching for Knitty’s Isabella, started a Malabrigo capelet, and a pinwheel baby blanket.

Somehow got some holes in this, but I’m not fixing it. Knitpicks Shine Sport in Apricot colorway, hopefully will trim it in a light green. I love this yarn, it works up SO nice, and isn’t half as hard as some other cottons to work with. Size 4 needles.

Another sock in progress, and my three skeins of Colinette Jitterbug. Whee! I love this yarn, even if yardage is on the low side.

Artsy Yarn! Evening Fog colorway, I’m still waiting on my Trophy Wife. Hopefully I will have it Monday, the holiday slowed it down. Both will be socks. YAY!

The beginning of my clapotis, made out of super cheap SWTC bamboo in Bougainvillea (from discountbrandnameyarn.com, 42.50 by the bag, for 10 skeins!) I’m working it on size 5 needles.

In other news, got approved for 8500.00 car loan to buy the car off my parents and have 1600.00 left to repair my car. It’s body work I need done, and the dealer quoted me 2300.00 so if I take it to the Mexican shop my husband goes to (rather, have him take it – he told me if I go there, they’ll charge me more than they will charge him) I can half the price. Or even any other decent shop. I need a new tire, the quarter panel dropped because of a dent over the tire and is wearing big marks into the tire, so I need a tire, too. But the big thing is the quarter panel, to stop the scraping on the tire. I’m not getting a new tire until I’m sure the scraping will stop. Even if I don’t go to the Mexican, I’ll shop around and find something under 1600.00! I think the bank may be crazy to give a 20 year old that kind of loan, but OH WELL! At least this means I can register it in my name, because FLORIDA SUCKS.

Moving in three weeks. Have not started packing. AHHHH!

tough luck, sunshine.

Fell down the stairs Friday morning. Severe backpain ensued, and now I’m on a steady regimen of Darvocet, Neproxen, and Flexeril (pain, muscle relaxer, and muscle relaxer) until we get the x-rays back. I have a purple bruise the color of my mother’s scarf I am currently knitting (too bad we don’t have pictures…YET – I shall release myself from being too lazy to take pictures, I promise…or something). Friday was also the first day of The Diet. I ate salad for lunch. Then the weekend came and I did sort of good, considering the weekend is usually a free for all. Mirko went out last night with his friends, I stayed home which is a good thing because by 11:30 my back pain was so bad I took the Flexeril and was asleep within 15 minutes. I kept my phone by me so Mirko could call when he got home and I would know so I could open the gate – but the super loud GLAMOUROUUUUUS ringtone didn’t even wake me up. Buh. I felt bad, but oh well. My mom’s scarf is almost finished – alpaca, it’ll be really warm for work where she’s right under a blower and covered in blankets most of the time. I started some mint green lace socks out of Knitpicks’ Palette. I love it for sock yarn, I want to order more when I get paid….I have a yarn problem. They’re not real lacey, but a simple lace zigzag pattern. We’ll see if I can bind them off correctly this time so I can at least model them.

today was almost productive.

So, I’d had enough this week when I tried to call Bank of America with a simple question and they asked me about everything they possibly could to “verify” me and then they said “oh, sorry, we can’t VERIFY you” and I couldn’t find out exactly what I needed to know. Oh, and it took me 15 minutes to get to a live person who I could ask said question. Not to mention how they stole the keep the change idea from a guy in West Palm, etc etc so I said, “Mirko, I am finished,” and we opened an account at Achieva Credit Union this morning. When we opened our joint account at Bank of America, we waited for over an hour to see someone. Today? We waited 5 minutes at Achieva. Opened the account with no issues, except they had problems verifying me because my last name changed recently, our zip code is South Pasadena but Saint Pete and Gulfport also use this zip code and their verification system uses Saint Pete and not the other two. THEN, they couldn’t verify my birth date. Uh, what!? My birth certificate says November 12, 1986, so I don’t know what that is about. Anyway, found out my credit score is 655 which was way better than I expected. (So much for it being a closely guarded secret…they told me without charging! ) Then we went looking for apartments. The Columns of East Bay are too expensive, but no one is ever at the office when we go there, so I’m done. This one place we liked is 1000 a month but if we move in during July we can take advantage of their move in special getting a month free … it’s a nice place, and a lot closer to everything – with a washer/dryer in the unit with cable included. Some of the other places were cheaper but without the washer/dryer and NOTHING included. So I’m not sure what we’re going to do…not to mention we wanted to go visit my family in July. Anyway, I’m about 1/3 done with my mom’s Ariel Scarf knit out of alpaca. Purple alpaca. No pictures yet, but it isn’t much to look at since it’s curling due to being stockinette based. After blocking, I think she’ll love it. I also ordered some Knitpicks’ Palette to attempt to knit socks out of (I finished one sock. The bind off was too tight and can’t get it over my ankle. YUCK.), but I didn’t tell my husband shh. Only 18.50 total though…but money is tight and I’m impulsive. OH! Mirko took me to Tampa for Peruvian chicken! So good. AND ALFAJORES! Speaking of which, I have to go finish mine.

it’s been one hell of a year.

I know, I know – these types of posts usually come on New Year’s Eve or Day, but I didn’t make any resolutions this year and it’s creeping up on July 1st – one of the biggest milestones I ever had, which got me to thinking while going to the bathroom this morning (don’t ask).

July 1st, I move to Florida. Left a lot of crap being in Albany, NY – got a whole bunch of new crap. Moved for a boyfriend (ironic, given how independent I am and how dependent that looks to the rest of the world), but part of me was running, escaping from a lot of things. Had I never met Mirko, I never would have moved, but knowing he was in Florida and I most definitively was not. JCPenney, College of Saint Rose…Albany, NY. I was tired.

We had our trials, our tribulations. There were times that I thought I was done. That this was too hard, too much or other sentiments in that same vein. But…we survived.

Turns out, living in Florida sucks more than visiting (we want to move North eventually – CT or somewhere along those lines) – but we’re staying so at least I can finish my education inexpensively, and hopefully he can too (although it’s more of a start for him). Changed where I want to go – paralegal studies instead of speech language pathology. I still have an interest in SLP, but paralegal studies is another interest and it allows me to continue to work. And saves me money.

On January 5th, 2007 (my parent’s wedding anniversary), we got married. I was 20 (still am), and he was 22 (almost 23 now). So we’re still newlyweds. Anyway, point being – that was a big step, but not the biggest. People made a big deal about getting married (it was a small wedding, just my family and his) but it was smaller than moving.

But we’re still alive. We survived.

This is supposed to be my knitting blog, and I’m sure it will be – go figure how into knitting I get when I move to FL (where I don’t need wool socks but I get addicted to them anyway). But I’m more than that, so it’ll be more than that.