I am getting a beading bug. Been a long time since I beaded. I noticed that Growing Together has beading classes starting next week. Growing Together is a place two block away that has programs for families and their kids. They have cookery classes, play mornings, toy lending library and such. I taught myself to bead about 7 years ago but I would love to learn properly. It is also a good excuse to leave Jesse with his Dad so that I can take a break for a couple of hours....It is so rare that I do that.

Anyway, has anybody seen any online instructions for making beaded stitch markers? I found this site with ring style Beaded Stitch Markers but I am looking for instructions for making ones like drop earrings.

We thought summer had arrived. Yesterday - Sunny, warm and around 22c. Today - freezing fog and 2c this morning. And guess who planted her bedding plants yesterday. Silly ME!

Oops. Has it been that long since I blogged?

Things have been rather busy around here.

Firstly the guy that bought the lot opposite has put it for permission to have it re-zoned. We hear he wants to put a 12-plex on the land. The land used to house a lovely old buidling that once was the baptist church. Then it was occupied by the Soaring Eagle Friendship Centre until they moved to a new location. Used to be wonderful when they had any special occasion and we could hear fiddling and drumming without having to leave our yard. Anyway, we have all signed a petition and will be at the Town Hall on Monday. Ron and I have done most of the leg work. Fingers crossed for us.

Then I re-vamped Karp Styles. Just new logo menus. "Just" she said. It took days. Wanted to install a new shopping cart but I can't find one that suits my requirements.

Last night we went to enroll Jesse in Playschool. He starts next Septemeber. The school is quite new and has great facilities. As soon as we go there he took off on his own. For 40 minutes he seemed to totally forget us. I think he will do great there. They even have computers. Jesse loves to come and help Mommy work so you never know, he might be the one printing out invoices soon LOL.

Way to Go Fantasia!

The best American Idol winner to date.

The emotion she puts into a song will surely make her a top artist. Not just a singer - she is pure, raw, powerful talent.
I was weeping buckets at the end - had to go and clean my glasses as I couldn't see.

On the knitting front - I have just finished the back of Georgina and cast on for the left front. I think this cardigan might become a fave of mine. It sure looks pretty so far.

The past week has not been fun at all...AT ALL!

Jesse had a bad cough the previous week. Daddy went to Inuvik on Monday. Monday afternoon, I took Jesse to Tree House (a kids play/craft group). One girl had a runny nose.... I didn't think much of it as Jesse probably had the same bug. Next morning we went to Tumbling Toddlers. Fisheries and Oceans Canada had a young guy visit to give the kids a little show about pond life. He bought bugs - Jesse was mesmerized. He and another boy called Brad were laying on their tummies glued to the bowl of water with the bugs. Jesse has never been so still or quiet. But Brad had a runny nose. Meg, Jesse's girlfriend, also had a runny nose. On Wednesday Jesse got sicker again. Luckily Daddy came home Thursday evening. This weekend he has been really bad. Poor kid has been running a high fever and was a bit delirious at one stage. He wasn't too bad this morning but, after his afternoon nap, he was burning up again. Daddy gave him a tepid shower and Mommy gave Tylenol. If he isn't better tomorrow, we will call the nursing desk at the hospital for advice. He has been ill too long. Poor kid's nose is bleeding often as well. Mommy hasn't slept much for nearly two weeks now.

Then we heard that Ron's Mom has been ill since around Xmas. She had back pain when she was here but she said it was due to the long journey...very likely. Seems she hid how bad she felt when we all met up at Easter. Now we learn that she has a spot on her lung. We are worried out of our minds. She quit smoking around the time Jesse was born. I always thought that she quit because of him but now I wonder if she already knew something. Ron thinks the same. Please send good thoughts and vibes her way.

Happily the Northwest Territories has banned smoking in any restaurants, bars or pubs now. Maybe that might stop at least one person dying of lung caner. Basically you can't smoke in any workplace at all...and that includes where waiters and waitresses work. Well done NWT!!!! Hay River had already banned smoking in restaurants. As an ex smoker - I am really happy about this. I cannot tolerate the stench of smoke at all now. It has stopped me going to Christmas parties at Ron's work etc.

American Idol - what a joke
The program totally lost any credability tonight. It is pretty clear that votes are being rigged. But that doesn't totally surprise me. You could set a computer up with a script to dial in over and over again. Imagine what fun hackers can reap on the voting. If they allow more than one call per # then it can be rigged easily.

I didn't like La Toya's attitude too much but she is a GREAT singer. She seemed a tad toooooooo confident. Watch now -- Fantasia will get thrown out next.

I feel pissed off!

Georgina is working up nicely. I love how it looks so far. I am about to decrease for the armholes on the back. Not had too much knitting time this week as work has been busy. Jesse is under the weather again too. Was up all night as he had a bad cough. Poor baby!

The colour of the yarn is very hard to get on camera. Sorry, I didn't feel like going outside as it is still around freezing. But you can get the idea at least.

My Shapely Tank
Yarn: Sonata
Pattern: White Lies Designs



Squashed my index finger of my rh between a wooden box and a wall unit last night. OWIE! Have a lovely black nail and my finger has throbbed ever since. Don't think it is life threatening though :-)

Jesse trouble of the day - knocked over Mommy's plants whilst Mommey was showering. Guess I really can't shower any more eh?

Shapely Tank is finished. It is GR8! I really do like a lot. Will probably make more.

The neck and armholes were too loose. Typical - I actually made a point of casting off looser than normal as I often do it too tight. So I frogged the casting off and re-knitted.
Will post pics as soon as I can.

Now onto my next project. Paula found this pattern for me. Thank you!
It is Georgina by Kirstin Cowan
Yarn is Schoeller Stahl Bandolino (sp?) in purple.
If anybody wants to do a knit-along, let me know.

My dear sweet innocent son (ha ha) managed to get into a cupboard that he can't normally reach today. He found white glue, glitter, crepe paper and a brush. I was in the shower for 5 minutes and Jesse was creating a work of art. The mess was not fun. Now I know he can reach this cupboard I have moved everything. I can't put a childproof lock on it so moving things is my only option. He can open cupboards with most childproof locks anyway. Kids are more clever than the folks that make these things!!!!!!

Happy Birthday to Me.........

Can't belive that I am 47 already. Where have all those years gone? Mommy to a toddler and 47!!!!!! Perhaps that is why I am always tired. But I am always smiling too. He gives us so much joy.

Jesse sang Happy Birthday to me this morning. It was extremely moving to see a 34 month old singing so sweetly. He and his daddy woke me with coffee in bed. They were both wearing party hats. Jesse seems to know that you wear hats and have balloons at birthdays....so it was his idea.

The Hay River is breaking up today. It had broken at the falls (see photo below for that the falls looked like last weekend) but it hasn't broken near our home. No fear of flooding this year. The weather melted lots of the ice before the break happened.


Alexandra Falls

Just took this quiz on Quizilla. The result is so funny. I will always be the first to admit that my spelling and grammar suck. Give me Math any day!
But clearly my grammar is good when taking a quiz or test. Just not when writing emails, blog entries or letters. Maybe I don't concentrate enough in those situations. Somebody even wrote me an anonymous email to point out that I wrote "sort after" on my website. DUH Jackie! I know it is "sought" after. Brain on a go slow perhaps.


You are a MASTER of the English language!


While your English is not exactly perfect,
you are still more grammatically correct than
just about every American. Still, there is
always room for improvement...


How grammatically sound are you?
brought to you by Quizilla


A few things that bug me are:
"There" car instead of "their" car.
Web "sight" in place of "site".
"To many" where it should be "too many".
"I no" or "I now" for "I know"
etc.
Is it time for me to join the Grammar Avengers????
Well done Pinner Grammar School in Pinner, Middlesex, England for actually teaching me something!!!!!!

As far as my knitting progress goes.....
Have now finished the front of Shapely Tank. I think it will fit like a glove. Perhaps I need to do a few more laps of the block to loose a pound or two. Really like how the tank is turning out and feel really enthusiastic about it. I have some solid purple DK yarn and would like to make a little cardigan to go over the top. Something similar to Sitcom Chic. Anybody know of a nice pattern that I could use?

DH is off on a business trip for two days. I really miss the couple of hours break from the whirlwind two (nearly 3) year old. So if you don't hear from me, I am lying on the floor somewhere, totally exhausted .

What a gray day! It doesn't rain *that* often here - well not anywhere near as much as it does in England (my homeland). But it has rained all day. The back yard is flooded as the rain is making the rest of the snow melt very fast. We are actually trying to pump the back yard water into the ditch in the front yard. From there it will eventually flow into the river which is about 100 yards away (and still frozen). Look out for river break up pics as soon as it happens. Hopefully no floods in the town this year.

Making slow progress with Shapely Tank. I just haven't really had enough knitting time lately.
Here is an "in progress" shot. This is the front - I always use circs even if I don't knit it in the round.
The rug is actually silver - the purple of the yarn isn't showing too well either.

The pattern states to knit 13 inches before the short rows for bust shaping. As I am short-waisted, I think I will do 12 inches instead. I don't want it to be too long and for the waist shaping to be near my hips!!

So who are the people with no ear for music that keep voting for John Stevens and helped Jennifer get voted off. DUH!
Sorry but it sure seems as if that program is rigged.

VENT over.

The Shapely Tank is coming along nicely. I really love this Sonata yarn. It is a dream to knit with.
Will try to post a pic tomorrow.....when I have stopped steaming about Idol.

Decided to join the Shapely Tank Knitalong

I have been looking at that pattern for ages and really liked it. Theresa knitted it in the round so I have to decide if I follow her or stick to the pattern.

The yarn I will use in Sonata in a purple variegated. It is not shown on the Elann site in this colour any longer. Sure hope I will have enough....

We have all been sick with bad colds for about a week now. This really is the worst cold that I have ever had. Sort of feel as if I have cotton wool in my head. Seems as if half of Canada has the same cold.

One of my most favorite shows ever ended recently. We got to see the last one a couple of weeks ago in Canada. Saw this quiz on Brenda's blog and thought I would take it.

You Are Most Like Carrie! You're quirky, flirty, and every guy's perfect first date. But can the guy in question live up to your romantic ideal? It's tough for you to find the right match - you're more than a little picky. Never fear... You've got a great group of friends and a great closet of clothes, no matter what! Romantic prediction: You'll fall for someone this year... Totally different from any guy you've dated. Which Sex and the City Vixen Are You Most Like? Take This Quiz Right Now! Find the Love of Your Life (and More Love Quizzes) at Your New Romance.

We made the long drive to Grande Prairie, AB for the long Easter weekend. It takes about 8 hours to drive there. Ron's parents drove over from near Barrhead to meet up with us. We shopped till we dropped on Saturday. Spent Sunday with the in-laws. Jesse was having such fun with grandpa. He doesn't get to see them nearly enough. But Sunday night things got BAD. Jesse got a fever and was crying and not sleeping. I was up all night. Around 6am he threw up in the bed (we were in a motel so this was NOT good). By 7am, we gave up trying to sleep and decided to head home. No breakfast with Ron's parents and a really abrupt goodbye. We stopped to grab coffee and gravol. Luckily Jesse only got ill once on the way home and he managed to warn us this time. It was a long drive on no sleep though.

Next day I woke with a sore throat and Jesse was sneezing. Now we both have really heavy colds.

So much for having a fun weekend eh? At least we had one good day with Ron's ma and pa.

Knitty just blew me away with all of its new designs. The best issue to date. Check it out!

My fave has to be Alison's Rosebud but I also really like Grace and Otis.

Spring has Sprung!!!! In Hay River that means you spend hours diverting the water that is trying to head for the basement. We had about 3 feet of snow around the house and the melt happened really fast this year. Yesterday I spent hours clearing snow from near the back walls and emptying garbage cans full of water. The eves-troughs were overflowing at one section and it was all heading towards the house. I grabbed the garbage cans to collect the water. Jesse thought it was all such fun though. He was soaked when I finally got him to come in.

Today the driveway melted and that began to come in near the basement windows. So I was syphoning water from that area all afternoon. The snow on the grass is now so soft that Jesse keeps loosing his boots. Soon it will just be under water - then what do you do with an energetic 2 year old????

You should see the ice crossing on the river. It must be 2 feet of muddy water. But everybody is still driving back and forth to the reserve. I won't be taking my shiny van across any more until it freezes again next winter. A couple of years ago a truck went through the ice. That was the most exciting thing to happen here in years

Finished Meg's little crocheted dress. It sure looks cute. I think it is too big for her but she will soon grow into it. Hope to get a pic of her wearing it as soon as I can.

Still knitting a few rows per night on my dishcloth for Brenda's Dishcloth-Along . I find cotton hard to knit with...wears my poor wrists out too quickly. (And all this snow moving has just added to that - plus blisters). I guess I am about halfway along now.
Here is the progress photo.

Distraught!!!

Hold it All Handbag is finished and felted. And just as I was trying to shape it as it was drying, I noticed an error. Falls on her knees in complete sadness I clearly started the strap in the wrong place so it doesn't match on both sides. Can't believe I messed up so badly. All I can say is that I was probably more worried about running out of yarn (which I did) than paying enough attention to my work. DUH DUH DUH!!!!!!!! The bag is useable or carrying Jesse's spare pull-ups and stuff and probably I am the only one who will ever notice that it isn't symmetrical but......

Oh well! Now I guess I need to make another bag and try doing it correctly this time.

Thought spring was finally arriving this weekend and then back came the -25c and snow. It is windy out too so the windchill must be bad. Poor Jesse just wants to go outside and play but it is too cold.

Been working on the taxes. It is a lot of stress as I do the books for my business and DH's taxes too. Hopefully we can Netfile them tonight and then I can do the GST return tomorrow. After that, perhaps I can take a break from stressing myself SOOOOO much. My name is Jackie and I am a work-aholic. And working from home means that I often find reasons to come in the office and work when I could be relaxing. Crazy!

At last the White Buffalo yarn arrived so I can finally finish the Hold It All Handbag. It has been bugging me that I was so close to the end.

Also started knitting a dishcloth for the Dishcloth-Along. I decided (though God know why) to use straight needles. Managed to knit two rows and my arms were really aching. Now I remember why I much prefer to use circulars for any work - not just knitting in the round.

The pattern that I am using comes from this book. Nifty Knit Dishcloths The design I chose is the beige one in the bottom row.

Just got home from watching the local skating club ice show. It was the best that I have seen yet. Watching all these tiny tots wobble about on the ice just brings me to tears. Heaven help me when Jesse starts skating next winter. I will be the blubbering mom in the bleachers. Some of the skating was quite impressive for a little town of only about 3500. The new coach that was hired in 2002 really seems to have improved the abilities of the skaters in all age groups.

But the highlight of the evening had to be McKenzie Pederson. She is a grade 8 student from Okotoks, AB who came up to do a show as guest skater. If I am not mistaken, she is heading for great things. What amazing talent! She has poise and charm of a skater much older. I can't find a photo of her online but I did find an article about her. Read it here. If any of you are skating fans, remember her name. I think she will be a top ranked skater in Canada before too long.

Finally took a picture of the little dress that I was crocheting for Meg before I hurt my wrist. Still have a few inches to go on the skirt.

  Pattern is American School of Needlework's Crochet Summer Sweeties

Going to try to do a little crocheting this evening...will try not to use the left hand much. Really good that it was my left hand and not the other one.

Can't stop Hubby from driving since we got the van. We are getting to the point where we just might start arguing about who drives LOL. Everybody looks at it when we are out. It does really stand out, especially when the sun is shining.