Current Mood : Sick and frustrated

OK, I'm getting really tired of being sick all the time. I can barely walk across the house anymore without wheezing, and I'm coughing up wads of... gunk. I just wish I knew what was going on. It's not my asthma, it's not my heart... but I'm miserable, exhausted, slightly nauseous, and coughing so hard, well, I don't wanna get into that. But it's bad.

Yes, I should go to a doctor, even it it's just a doc-in-the-box. But I can't figure out what's wrong, and I'll hate to shell $80. we don't really have at this moment to find out I just have another bad cold. That's really what it seems to be, a bad cold with explosive coughing.

So, suffice to say, I didn't go anywhere today. About all I can do is sit in one place and not move around very much. Gives me lots of time to write, but not a heckuva lot to write about !

I'm getting used to having the computer in the Office. We moved Dearest's desk in there tonight, and now he has a place to do his homework and play school with us. There's a file cabinet in the way that I just don't have the energy to move yet, but once that's done, it'll be perfect in here. We were actually thinking about getting cable this winter, but it's another bill we don't need, and we're now all together in the Office, which is why we were considering cable ! Sometimes things work out without having to spend a dime...

Beloved Hubby says he has a nice piece of wood he'd be glad to cut for me, so my Castle or other dollhouses will have a flat surface to work with. He'd even smooth the edges and varnish it for me, so I could decide on wood floors, or something to put carpet on. He's so sweet ! Now all I have to do is measure the space for him, and he said he'd get it done next time he's at the Shop, which'll be tomorrow. Whoo-hoo !

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CDT

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Current Mood : Disappointed, and slightly worried

Contrary to my hopes, my asthma got worse during the night. I literally did not sleep more than bits and snatches all night. So I didn't get to go on Dearest Son's field trip to the city zoo. I hated to let the class down, but I imagine the ambulance that'd have to come after me shortly after our walk began would be more traumatizing. I made sure to send the large ‘milk carton' container of Goldfish crackers I'd bought for the trip with Dearest, and hoped he'd have a good time. I'd made a quick grocery run for a Lunchable for him, soda for Beloved Hubby, and a hot, caffeine-filled Pumpkin Spice cappuccino for me before I woke everyone up. It really did help.

He also had a new busdriver today. ‘Mr. George', his previous driver, put in for reassignment to a better, newer, climate-controlled bus, and he got the slot. I can't blame him, he has to care for his health, but we'll miss him. At least our bus is the same one, and has the same monitor. The monitor was up front this morning to reassure the kids, normally he's about midway back. It's so nice to see such thoughtfulness.

Once he was school-bound, I was bed-bound. Slept for two hours, and that helped. Did some housework and worked on straightening up the Lab. Now I can fully open the Castle and play ! Or, I can fold it up and open the Folding Pretty House ! Or the Friend Ship airplane ! Or the Loving Care hospital room, or the fold-up bedroom/vanity, or the mini-mall. Wow. I have a lot of that stuff.

I hope to score a platform of some sort, so I can use all these carpet pieces underneath the various structures. Maybe some plywood or something. I'll have to ask Beloved what he has that he can spare...

While tidying up, I found the sew-in ‘Made With Love By' clothing labels I bought so long ago. I'd bought out all the ‘$2. for eight' packs, since they were on 80% off clearance. I left a few behind, but they were $3. for eight, and I really am cheap. From there, I'd put off mailing them until I could get bigger envelopes. Eight packs takes up a lot more space than the two I sent earlier this year. And once I had the envelopes, I put it off for a few more weeks. Well, time to get it done ! Dragged down the kitchen scale and weighed both the self-addressed stamped envelope with the eight packets, then the envelope holding it all. Just have to drop it off tomorrow. Then, the countdown will begin ! I wonder how long it'll take them to mail ‘em back this time ? I'll be glad if they're here by Christmas... When it's all said and done, for the labels, postage, envelopes and all, I'm paying about 9c each for ‘em.

Beloved came home and was happy to see me playing Castle. I was kind of filling time before going to pick Dearest up, since the zoo trip was known to go long. We got there at just the right time. Dearest had a great time, but was worried about the gorilla, who was by himself. So he drew the gorilla and a kitten, playing soccer together.

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CDT

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Current Mood : Pleased 

Big doings at Chez Insanity today. I woke up with a super-tight chest at 2am this morning, and couldn't fall back asleep until after four. And I get up at 5am most weekdays. So after Dearest Son got on the school bus, I went back to sleep. Beloved Hubby woke me to tell me he had to leave to work in the city, but otherwise, I just rested until about 10am.

Woke up with DC curled up at the back of my neck, feeling somewhat better. I'd just settled down to a bowl of applesauce for a late breakfast when Beloved was back home ! He'd finished work early, and had an agenda. He really hated that down-stuffed leather sofa we'd traded some other work for - would I mind if we moved our old furniture back in from the garage, and move the leather stuff out ? Hey, that was fine with me ! The leather stuff was uncomfortable, crowded our living space, and the down cushions had to be pummeled to keep from sagging every hour. I would be more than happy to have our old stuff back !

Only one problem. I was still wheezing, so he didn't want me to help lift and carry. So we called DBIL, and got to visit with him for a bit. He also brought DF & MIL, so we had a nice chat, but they wouldn't let us take them out for lunch. DFIL is having breathing problems, too. And DBIL is still raving over the robes I made him for his summer trip. That felt really good. Especially since I'd decided to use the Godiva candy box - that we emptied within a week ! -  he gave me to store Dearest's camera charger !

So we spent a good chunk of the day rearranging furniture, but I like the results. Our living area is more open and less cluttered, and the old sofa is a lot more inviting ! Beloved's favorite chair is now in front of the bay window, and it's perfect for reading and relaxing. The coffee table fits at the very end of the sofa, and the small table he made a few weeks ago wedges between the chair and the sofa's other end. Just perfect.

He also redid his Office, and we ended up moving the computer desk in there, out of my Lab. Now I'm not so crowded in there !  And I'm really glad I got that Folding Pretty house now ! I positioned the Swan Lake castle and the FP house where the desk used to be, and they'll ‘hold' the spot until we finish the dollhouse he's building for me. Thank Everything for folding doll habitats ! In the meanwhile, I can play - and I can even close the door to the Lab again !

After lunch, we cleaned out the bed of his Diesel truck - I mostly watched, and we'd done the cab part Saturday - and got some stuff organized in his Shop. He wondered aloud if he was nesting or something, and I said it was probably a reaction to colder weather clearly on the way. When you spend more time inside, you want it to be as uncluttered and comfortable as possible. Not a big issue when you're outside all the time, when the weather's nice. Now if only Dearest Son felt the same way about his toys...

Only problem is, all this shuffling around left a lot of misplaced junk in its wake. So I got a busy week of cleaning ahead ! The Lab is a real wreck right now, but I'll get to it soon. Probably tonight. I got dolls in three rooms waiting to be restored to their rightful places. At least Lacey got to ‘meet' Gracie and Casey today, while everything was in the shuffle process.

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CDT

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Current Mood : Amazingly lazy !

Another nice, relaxing day. Which was nice, because my chest was tight all day. I wasn't ever more than six feet away from an inhaler. Here's hoping tomorrow isn't as bad.

Got to spend lots of time brushing doll hair. ‘Lacey', the newest addition to the Chez Insanity MSB collection, was first in the hot seat, having her randomly cut locks smoothed out while Beloved and I watched Click and Sicko. After some extensive research on eBay and via Google Image Search, I believe that Gracie is a non-movie Rapunzel MSB, Casey is a Princess MSB, and Lacey is a Dancing MSB, the one that came with the stand on wheels. Without her earrings, it's difficult to say for sure, but other dolls with bangs either have them much thicker, or styled differently. And her nearly-white hair color also helped. Tomorrow, I hope to work on that stain on her back that looks like paint, but it's no big deal if it remains. I'm still trying to decide how best to work her hair around the odd cuts it has. I'll probably donate the odd outfit she was sold in. The lace is just too... red for me to use anywhere !

From there, Ariel got her turn. Her hair, like all the Tyco Little Mermaid dolls, is glorious. The curls are still springy and shape around your fingers with just a bit of encouragement from the brush, and it doesn't snarl very much at all. It waves around her face so prettily, I'm wondering now how I'm going to donate her... when I wanna keep her, too ! Oh, I know I bought her for that great fin - photo soon ! - but she's so happy and pretty... (sigh)

After that, I went after the marker on the back of the ‘Polly Pocket' style Ariel's hair. Most of it came off, but the rubbery Belle dresses I have don't fit her well at all. Luckily, she has a built in purple ‘seashell' bra and matching panties, so she won't be nude while I either somehow make her something, or find another scale doll's clothes for her. Her photo will appear here, too - once I can get her dressed !

Otherwise, we just watched movies and sat around. Perfect Sunday, if you ask me !

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CDT

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Current Mood : Overwhelmingly amazed ! 

Spent during a glorious day : $32.

Didja ever have one of those times when you look around, realize you pretty much have everything you've ever wanted... and then sigh a bit, because ya can't think of what's next ? I mean, even I'm amazed at how this year has gone. I'd been looking forward to going out with my much-loved Molly for some second-hand fun all week, but cold weather and rain for most of it meant for few yard sales today. I checked the schedule online - all right ! Flea market at the fairgrounds today - my weekend is saved !

At first, it didn't look like much. Several of the familiar sellers weren't there, and lots of the new ones were just selling dusty VHS tapes and copies of National Geographic and Reader's Digest Condensed Books. And clothes waaay too tiny for me - and I am not doing the ‘cut up for fabric' thing again. Many booth spaces were empty, too. Oh, well, I was mostly there for the hunt, not really the find, anyway.

But I found one seller with several dolls, so I had a closer look.... an Ideal Giggles, tired, but still flirty-eyed, a Tomy Kimberly who really needed something else to wear other than the infant dress pinned to her, and a sun-faded Vogue Baby Dear One. She looked a lot like the last baby doll my parents bought for me as a kid. There were a few other dolls I didn't recognize, but I had fun looking for ID marks. With the seller's permission, of course. She'd had no idea some of the markings were there !

Off in a corner, though, was another doll I definitely recognized. A messy-haired, blonde, oddly dressed My Size Barbie. I had to smile. Her earrings were missing, so there went most of my ability to ID which MSB she was, but her face was identical to my Gracie and Casey's, which kept her release as sometime in the 90s. Again with permission, I picked her up, carefully examining her shoulder joints - Gracie's is really loose, and the vinyl inside is torn a bit - and noting the odd stain on her back. I also noted the sticker on her arm. "Large blond doll, $5. "

My mind wandered as the seller asked if she was a Barbie - she couldn't remember. I showed her the Mattel markings under the hair (noticing the bottom row had been cut to the near-roots) and explained that the ‘1973' date was when that particular styling head mold had been patented. To make the MSBs, Mattel simply created a body to fit the already-existing head !

Now the hard part. I had $13. in my wallet - and plenty of MSB clothes in the Lab closet. If I wanted, I could most certainly have this pretty, if oddly dressed, doll. She seemed to be wearing a dance ensemble - a red strapless, sleeveless leotard with red sequins glued to the top, and several rows of wide red lace sewn below the bodice. Matching red lace decorated two elastic strips sewn to the bodice front, and hooked to the back. I was kind of wondering what kind of dance recital called for such a garment - it was a kids' size 4 to 6 - but figured I'd best not ask. When he saw her, Beloved Hubby asked why the doll was wearing a ‘red-light district negligee'.

I looked again at her price sticker. Still $5. If she'd been $15., there'd be no conflict, I couldn't afford her. This is funny later. Well, we all know darn good and well what I did - I hauled a $5. out of my wallet and asked if she could keep ‘Lacey' for me until I'd walked the whole circuit. Not that I'd have minded carrying her, but since I was there on Saturday, instead of my usual Friday, plus it was the local University's Homecoming, foot traffic was kinda busy. And I like to keep my hands free for digging !

Found a pretty Tyco Ariel, this one wearing a near-pristine Tropical mermaid fin. Just no ‘seashells' ! Also found a 3.5" ‘Polly Pocket' type Ariel, too. What I couldn't find was the seller. So I moved on. The guy who'd insisted that the price on the repro Midge was ‘much higher' than the $30. he was asking was there, but luckily he didn't recognize me. Midge was still there, too.

But the booth next to his... oh, man. I've bought from her before, but this time, she really had some goodies. A Friend Ship that looked brighter than mine, a horse corral still in the box, a remote control Jeep also still in the packaging, and two things I wanted sooo much... a never-used Sew Magic and a Folding Pretty House, still in the box ! The Sew Magic I always wanted but never got, the Folding Pretty house got left behind in the cross-country move, and I'd been looking for another ever since. If not for the fact that shipping always cost more than I wanted to pay for the whole thing, I'd already have one. It's a great prop ! While I was willing to settle for the latest house, I really wanted FP.

The seller recognized me from past Barbie goodie buys, and asked if there was anything she could show me. I told her I had the Friend Ship airplane as a kid and bought it again,  several years ago, and hers looked really nice. Well, she said it was complete, but when she opened it, I didn't have the heart to tell her that nearly all of the loose pieces - plates, cups, pitcher, serving cart - were missing, but also one of the two sets of seats were gone, too. I did let her know that she had the grey earliest seats, not the older orange ones.

I asked to see the Sew Magic and the Folding house. I knew darn good and well that the $8. in my wallet wasn't gonna buy either. But seeing those cool 70s graphics on the Sew Magic box was overwhelming. There they were, the same Malibu Barbie and Ken I'd owned, back in my first Friend Ship days, in their hip, new Sew Magic clothes, right on the box. I may have swooned a bit. With permission, I peeked inside. Absolutely complete. The dress form, all the patterns, the machine, the notions and fabric, it was all there. Wow.

But by then, she'd dug the Folding Pretty house out. She also said it was complete, but having every little bit on that wasn't nearly as impressive, seeing as how it came out in 1997. Still, having the box was pretty special. I'd never seen it in the packaging before. I peeked at this one, too, and could already tell a few small bits were AWOL, but the house itself was solid.

(sigh) Why couldn't one of them have been broken or something ? Arrgh. Well, might as well let prices decide. What did she want for one or both ? Well, the Sew Magic was $10., the dollhouse was $15., but she'd let me have them, the car, and the corral for $50. Or the Sew Magic, the doll house, and the plane for $50., my choice. Um, well... I couldn't decide. I knew if I chose one, I'd regret not getting the other. And I could get one, there was some cash in Checking if I needed it... I gave her both items back, saying I was gonna take another circuit of the sale to decide, and I'd be back soon.

And that's actually what I did. The nice lady who'd sold me ‘Lacey' pointed me out to her booth-neighbor, who then really tried to hard-sell me some storage cabinets and furniture I didn't want. She had a Rocker Ken I was kind of interested in before, but now, I didn't want to ask. She asked me what I'd paid for the MSB, and when I told her, she nodded and said she'd have charged me $20. Oookay... 

I twisted away when new targets came into her sights, and continued my pondering. Well, shoot. I didn't wanna drain checking, and taking out $25. for both items would leave it a bit thinner than I liked. But I knew Beloved wouldn't mind - he'd just paid $63. for a replacement mirror for his truck, and wanted me to get something I wanted, too. He'd said so before I left. I just hated taking so much out of Checking... And even at $25. for both, it was still cheaper than the currently on the shelf Barbie house that he said I could have any time I liked.

Then it hit me. I could give her the $5. in my wallet, get $20. out of the ATM, and have both, and still leave enough in so I wouldn't feel guilty. All right ! So that's what I did. It took me two trips to get Lacey, the Sew Magic, and the Folding Pretty house out to Molly, but I was beaming the whole time. Wow. I could hardly wait to get home and examine my new treasures - and document the Sew Perfect for my website !

But, on the way out, I spotted the seller who had the Ariel doll. He got 2 of my remaining three bucks for her, the miniature Ariel, a Fashion Fever accessory head, and two tall pink plastic Barbie director's chairs. Whee ! It wasn't until later that I discovered that one of the chairs was a complete waste - it was chewed up beyond my ability to save. (sigh) At least I'd be painting the other one soon ! I just love director's chairs. My dolls probably have about five or six.

Once home, Beloved was pleased to see me so happy. He was working on the silver truck - not his Diesel, easily as loved by him as I love my Molly ! - so I stayed outside with him, examining the Folding Pretty house on the driveway. It's missing a flagpole, a weather vane, a door wreath, a remote control, a phone handset and cord, the battery pack and lamp, and some cooking props, but otherwise, it's nearly new. The manual/warranty information was even included. Had some fun figuring out how to get the dollhouse back in the box - it goes in sideways ! - and noting that, about a decade ago, someone paid K-Mart $49.99 for this. Yup, the price sticker is still intact. I'm thinking of documenting this, too, but since it's incomplete, I haven't decided yet. Plus, the last time I included a scan of some directions, I later found printouts of my photos for sale on eBay. Guess it's time to start looking into watermarking my images...

After that, there wasn't time to play with my new toys. I went out on errands with Beloved, and we had lunch together. I helped a bit with the truck and cleaned out the Diesel, and as night fell, we rented a buncha movies from the ‘$5. for 5' place, and had pot pies for supper. What a nice day today was !

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CDT

Updated: Tuesday, 28 October 2008 10:14 PM CDT

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"You don't climb into a T-180 to be a driver. You do it because you're driven. " - A head-scratching moment (you get used to ‘em) between Racer X and Speed, Speed Racer

Yeah, we finally broke down and rented that tonight. Dearest Son has wanted to see it for ages. Only reason he hasn't is because Dearest reacted badly to some Matrix footage BIL insisted we watch a few years ago. It got him all hyper and out of control for roughly three times as long as what he watched. Both films were directed by the increasingly weird Wachowski Brothers. However, this film left me slightly dazed and a bit logy, as though I'd eaten waaaay too much candy. The color scheme here isn't so much a palette as it is an amplification. Pushed up to ‘11'. Story itself was OK, but the constant use of ‘things out of the frame' as a transition device started to get on my nerves.

On any other day, with my sweet Molly-car working and $13. big bucks in my wallet, I'd be out searchin' and scooping the sales. But the few I've found are way across town, and if I was going all the way over there, I'd much rather visit Toys R Us. Plus, Beloved Son is home today - end of quarter break - and seriously, I can't afford to take us both to TRU ! If I have $10., he'll fall deeply, eternally, and naggingly in love with something that's $15. Instead, we hit McD's for lunch, where he obtained a pull-back Hot Wheels race car, in the same general color scheme as Iron Man. Since that was the one he most wanted, he was happy.

I was happy, too. Because I also got a Mighty Kids meal, and got the one Barbie out of the set I liked - the Shanghai doll. Out of package, her skirt had spun until the seam was up the front, so I just twisted it a bit until the seams fell to her sides. One seam had a bit of a slit to it. Naughty Barbie !

Tied to her wrist was a small postcard with a view of the city at night, all neon glamour. Allow me to share her message :

Ni Hao (nee-He-OW) from Shanghai. What an amazing city this is - twice the size of NYC ! The designer fashions here are fabulous - especially my new silk party dress ! Well, I'm off to a fashion show. Write back soon !

                                                 ♥ always, Barbie

It's actually a rather nice doll. Stands alone, and her arms move - her right is bent, so it brushes her hair back when raised, almost like playing with a miniature Superstar doll. Hair is brushable, but it doesn't go flying everywhere, and the curls are pretty. Facial screening, even at this size, is pretty good. Heck, if the quality was this good on all dolls, many of us wouldn't have anything to complain about !

Spent most of the day doing some housework and getting ready for the weekend. DC and Jack have shredded their third shower curtain, and this one wasn't even put up until Monday. I'm about to go ballistic on two cats' butts. (sigh) Oh, well. I can always enjoy another trip to Dollar Tree. Any tips on how to keep six-month-old felines off the draperies ?

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CDT

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Kind of a boring day today - about all I did was some housework and homework ! We helped Beloved Hubby prepare the silver truck for its upcoming paint job in the early evening, which was kinda fun. He's never painted a vehicle before, so Beloved's a bit worried and jittery, but I know he'll do well.

I'm thinking of a visit to TRU this weekend, since there don't seem to be many yard sales this weekend. Between the cold weather and recent rains, I shouldn't be surprised that the season is ending. But I'll always have thrift stores - and it's been ages since I went to Toys R Us. I'll never run out of ways and places to spend money !

Had kind of an odd dream last night. I was, for some reason, tasked with finding the perfect phrase for a talking doll to say. In the dream, it involved taping messages over and over and watching people's reactions to the doll and her words. I finally decided that the perfect message was "I love you, too, (child's name), and I always will. Everything will be fine.". How weird. I was designing the package, trying to figure out how best to say, ‘Send off for your personalized message chip !' on the box when I woke up. This is probably why I rarely remember my dreams... they get bizarre ! I can't even recall what size doll I was supposedly working with ! Spent most of the dream hunched over a sound board and a reel-to-reel tape recorder.

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CDT

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Current Mood : Joyful !

Spent on dolls : $2.18 (bandannas, belt)

Spent on crafts :  $2.53 (needles, knobs)

And today's big news... Molly's fixed ! Whoo-hoo ! A morning of heavy rain led to Beloved finishing up early for the day and returning home with the last few things he needed for her. The driveway was nice and dry by then, so he took care of her tune-up and oil change. I handed him filter wrenches and spark plug wires, and gathered up trash.  I get to drive her again tomorrow !! I'm so happy !

I also got to go to Hobby Lobby today. Picked up the yellow felt I need for a project for Dearest Son's Halloween class party, using the 40% off printable coupon. Also got another belt for Elphie - like the others, this was designed to be a sort of watch band-like charm bracelet, just without the watch, but they didn't sell. I got white and black ones for a bit over a buck a month or two ago. Today, I scored a pretty light blue one for 85c. These things were originally $5. !

I also found two pretty floral bandannas for 59c each. Once I remake Elphie's bed, I'll probably use them for flat and fitted sheets. I also bought a package of wooden ball knobs for $1.47. Needed them to fix a pretty little cabinet I bought at a yard sale a few weeks ago for 50c.  I didn't notice that one drawer was missing its painted-to-match knob.  Since I'd forgotten to take a drawer with me, I got the size I thought would be right. Nope. Too big, so I twisted off the other three, and glued four new ones that match ! I actually like the way the natural wood looks next to the cream paint, so I'm gonna leave them that way. And I may have plans for the two knobs remaining in the package... Still, it is kinda silly to spend a buck-fifty to fix a 50c cabinet. But I like it, and now that it's fixed, I like it even more.

I got to look at yarn, too. Wow, so many kinds ! HLobby isn't much more expensive than Mal-Wart - the skeins I paid $1.98 for at M-W were only $2.49 at HL - but their selection is astounding. And yes, I found luscious, lovely yarns that cost $10. for a surprisingly small skein. Pretty stuff, though. Not sure when ‘hairy' yarns got popular, but HL certainly had many different ‘pelts' in varying degrees of color and shag ! I may be giving those printable 40% off coupons a workout in the near future ! Found the yarn needles I wanted for the Knit Hits thingie, and they were even on sale. All told, I shelled less than $8. for everything, but I got quite a lot !

Got the cabinet fixed while waiting for Dearest's bus. I did a good job lining up the knobs, but anyone would have - I just matched the holes on the knobs to the holes on the drawers !

PS - Kinda ironic of me to tell some folks to 'flush, already !' when I confess to saving 3-inch long yarn findings ! I'm just as bad but not much worse than anybody else !

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CDT

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Current Mood : Reminiscing

Spent on crafts : $4.30

Spent on crafts last week (forgot to record it) : $4.19

Got all my errands, save mailing off the labels, done before 10am this morning. I even managed to snag a RedBox rental copy of the new Indiana Jones movie, and it just came out today. It's pretty good, not too much gross-out, save for two scenes. Fits well into the ‘Indy' mythos, but not quite as good as the first one. Really enjoyed seeing Marion (Karen Allen) again - and I know darn good and well George didn't write those romance scenes ! (reference any of the Padme/Anakin scenes in his other films for further proof of that theory)

Splurged on a big skein of white and a skein of black yarn when I did a bit of shopping. Last week, I got a skein of grey and a smaller one of variegated oranges and creams. It looks like a melting Dreamsicle bar ! It's funny how, before I left the house last week, I knew I'd get some yarn, and I swore I wouldn't get anything variegated or muliticolored, like that awful Christmas colors yarn ball that came inside the Knit Hits box.

But then you get to the yarn aisle, and the all-one-color skeins look so flat and dark next to the vibrant red/blue/yellow/orange one, or the one that's all shades of red from palest pink to fire truck. I found myself looking at them again today, but stuck with the classics. I'm kind of surprised at yarn prices. They really haven't gone up that much. I mean, compared to other things - like the action figure that was $2. when I was a kid is $7. now. The skein that would have been a dollar back then is only $2. now. But all I hear from crafters is how expensive yarn is. Well, I am probably just buying the cheap stuff, and when I visit Hobby Lobby tomorrow, I'll get to see the more expensive kinds. But if you just want yarn to play with, and not make heirloom socks, the everyday stuff isn't as expensive as I thought.

Oh, and this is kinda funny. One of the neat things about Knit Magic-type devices is that it's very easy to change colors. Just knot the old and new together, and keep going. I was really good at it as a kid. My knots used almost no yarn at all, and there were the shortest of tails to tuck in. I had to get the most from the few supplies I had back then. In addition to the aforementioned skein, there was also some unfinished projects from the previous owner in the box. He or she evidently favored wildly striped pieces, because several bits clashed so hard, I had to untangle them while wearing my sunglasses. Some of the yarn pieces were less than three inches long, which would hardly even register in the finished tube. What made it funny was that the knots were large and would invariably have two inches of yarn tales sticking out. Kids today don't have to be as careful with their art supplies as we did.

So what did I do with the yarn bits ? Um, well... I carefully untied them and put them in a drawer, so I could use them to tie up any later fabric I'd need to bundle. (sigh) I couldn't just throw them out. Yes, I probably have a mile of yarn already, but I'm still very careful with any supplies that cross my benighted path. I'll have to work hard to shake that habit. If I want to.

Posted by dorriebelle at 2:26 PM CDT

Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 11:37 PM CDT

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Current Mood : Gratitude for breathing

Amazingly, we had high humidity today - it's now raining - but my breathing was as stable as a table. I got so much done ! Cleaned up the kitchen, corralled all the weekend soda cans for recycling, wrangled the cardboard recycling, changed the litter box, did some laundry, the banking, and the week's grocery shopping, cleaned out the fridge, hung the new shower curtain, and assembled and installed the new lamps. Whew !

The lamps were an incredibly lucky find ! They're either desk or clamp lamps, with a plastic bullet-shaped shade. $1.50 each ! I got ‘lettuce green' for my two, a desk for the computer and a clamp for the sewing machine table, and ‘blooming orange' in a clamp for Beloved Hubby. He likes them, and asked me to pick up a desk one tomorrow. The bulbs are a bit expensive - $2.35 for six 25watt Type B - but not all that bad. The clamp opens wide enough to grip a door, and the desk base is good and heavy, with a small tray. It took me longer to find a Phillips screwdriver than it did to assemble the lamps. They also came in grey, purple, pink, and teal. I found ‘em over by the big plastic storage boxes, in triangular boxes you know I'm keeping for reworking. I kinda wanted a desk lamp, but I hadn't expected to pay just $1.50 for a new one. Maybe a used one...

I also splurged and bought a dozen cupcakes. While tasty and a handy reward for Dearest Son, I mostly wanted the DPrincess crown-shaped rings for the LDPs. I get two each of Belle and Jasmine (yellow), Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty (blue), and Ariel and Snow White (green). I asked if I could buy the rings separately, but they were $5. Wanna guess how much a dozen cupcakes with them on ‘em cost ? Surprisingly, they look cute as headwear on Barbies, too.

Tomorrow's gonna be just as busy. One of the special needs coordinators said she could use my empty spools and empty pill containers, so I need to drop those by while I'm delivering Dearest's snack - ice cream bars. I also hope to get the ‘made with love by #####' labels in the mail, finish a survey, snag a new lamp for Beloved, and get some more laundry done. And sometime after all that, I'm gonna sew something if it kills me ! I'm going nuts without having made anything in so long.

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CDT

Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 11:37 PM CDT

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