Did you think I dropped from the face of the earth? 

I've been working a temporary part time job which ends in October.  It's not very many hours a week, but its enough to take up my extra time -- my blogging time -- my knitting time -- my fun time. 

It's funny.  I finally settled something with myself.  I am a photographer.  I am an artist.  As soon as I settled those statements with myself I quit taking pictures.  I haven't picked up my camera, except to take the occasional obligatory pic of the family. 

I filled out the paperwork to enter some of my photos in the OK State Fair and then promptly put it on the back burner -- you know the burner in the friends house who lives several states away.  Only at dear hubby's persistent nudging did I develop, mount and submit my photos in a matter of hours.  I'm glad I did, but for some reason it became unimportant to me to do it.

On Sunday we visited the State Fair.  We went to see the 1000+ photo entries.  I entered 12 photos.  Four won honorable mentions.  Apparently, according to the superintendent, only 2% in each category won an honorable mention.  Some of the categories had hundreds of entries.  Two of the categories I entered had hundreds.  It's been a very interesting process.  Being the first time I've put my photo's out there for someone to judge.  I guess someone else considers me a photographer.

I also entered my Harry Potter scarf at the State Fair.  It won 8th place.  I was certain that it wouldn't win a thing.

Why, I ask myself, don't I value my work?  My honest thoughts about the judges are "they must not really look at my work".  "It's a pity vote."  Are they very good at judging?"  Now of course, when my daughters won ribbons for their work, I didn't think those things.  Not at all.  

Why don't I value my work?  What kind of messages does that send to those around me? 

I had set a goal to have an exhibit by late spring 2006.  Now I don't know if I'll do it. 

I have a low rumbly fear in the bottom of my tummy. 

The Weekly-Photo-Challenge this week is Multiples or Variations.  Here is my offering:

Long time no blog! 

I've had so much going on. 

I'm feeling good, like I'm coming out of long deep fog, that I wasn't even sure was there.

We are getting ready for the new school year.  And although I love the unschooly idea of learning at home, we are planning a little bit more structure.  The girls have talked about (and I wrote them down) goals for the year.  So we'll have some reading, writing, and arithmetic going on around here (not that we didn't before).  I for one feel very relieved by this.  Stormy is squeaking about going to public school next year.  On one hand I would love for her to go to school and have that experience, on the other hand it terrifies me.  Lots for me to work out there.  Lovebug also keeps saying she wants to go to school.  That could be that she is just parroting her big sis or saying what the other kids in her church class are saying.  Or she may really have a sense of wanting to go.

I wonder if it's because we all had a crappy year last year?  I'm hoping we'll have a much better time this year and maybe they'll want to stay home.

I am now employed, albeit temporary and part-time.  It's the 1st time in 11 years that I have worked for someone other than family.  I tried to turn it down twice.  The woman who hired me however really wanted me to be there. So much so, she was very willing to work with my family's schedule.  The girls are even going to come to work with me.  Most of the work is done from home, except for a couple of weeks, when I'll be at the office and/or meetings.  Anyway, it's interesting to be working again after so long.  Last week we traveled to Kingfisher and Okarche, OK. 

After we did all I needed to for the job, we went to the Chisholm Trail museum in Kingfisher.  Very interesting museum.  Lots of early OK history to find there.  It's very eclectic with very different kinds of things to be found there.  Our favorites were the room of stuffed animals (taxidermy) of native animals of Oklahoma and the old "town" consisting of old one room dirt floor homes, a one room school,  a church, jail and bank. 

After that we went for a late lunch at Eischen's Bar in Okarche.  They are known far and wide for their fried chicken.  It was the 1st time I'd ever had it.  They have a very limited menu -- about 10 items including (but not limited to) fried chicken, nachos, nachos with chili, roast beef sandwich, okra, chili pie, pop and water.   We had a half of order of nachos for Lovebug and fried chicken for all of us.  What is not said on the menu is that portions are HUGE.  The half order of nachos was more than enough for Lovebug to eat and Stormy and myself to have a few too.  The fried chicken only comes one way -- whole!  Well actually, it's cut into 8 parts -- but its the whole chicken.  It was some of the meatiest chicken I've had in a while.  It was served with a stack of sliced white bread and a "relish" plate consisting of sour pickles, bread and butter pickles and sliced pickled white onions.  YUMMY!  The girls couldn't get over that our plates where simply slices of white butcher paper that were cut into large squares.  We had a delightful time.  The staff was very nice, friendly and helpful.  In fact, I didn't want to get nacho's for Lovebug after he told me the chicken is 8 pieces.  That would be way to much food.  After Lovebug almost started to cry, he said he'd bring her a little order.  He brought over a huge order of nachos instead!  When it was time to pay, he wasn't going to charge us for it, but I insisted we had to pay something for it.  Had we been at a ballpark or some kind of outing, we would have easily paid $5 for what he brought out.  He eventually accepted $2 for them.  Not sure I would eat there everyday, but I highly recommend stopping in once in awhile if you are ever in the area!

Well, my day is getting away from me.  Hope to blog more frequently.  I've paid for another year of premium -- oh and btw, talking about very nice and great customer service, I had changed how I wanted to pay for my renewal, several months back.  Something must have happened, because the charge appeared on the wrong credit card, I wrote to Xanga and they fixed the charge immediately!  No questions asked.   LOVE it!!

TTFN!!

Knitting update:  Socks!

Long overdue update!!  I've been stuck.  While knitting this sock, everything was going along smoothly and easily.  I was beginning to wonder "what's all the @#$%&$ about?"  This is rather easy.  Why did I wait so long to make a pair? 

I finished decreasing the heel and wham!  I got stuck.  For the life of me, I could not visualize how doing the increases would look!!! 

I'm a very visual learner, I've known that for quite a few years now, but it doesn't stop me from trying new patterns with mostly words.  I do much better however, if you just show me once or twice.  I get it far more quickly this way. 

So for over a week now, I've been trying to picture in my head how the increasing will look.  I couldn't get it.  All I kept "seeing" is an hourglass shape forming. How was that going to work without attaching it somehow to the heel already there?  I finally decided to  suck up my pride and email Stasia about her pattern.  She replied with a wonderfully visual description that has helped!  I plan to get back to the sock tonight!!  Yippee!!  Thanks so much Stasia!!

Here are the pictures of my one lone sock so far!!

When I have them completed, I'll post a larger picture of the pair on my feet!!  (How's that for positive thinking?!!)

Weekly-Photo-Challenge:  Shadows

Paper doll cut-outs. 

Weekly-Photo-Challenge:  Dog Days of Summer. 

YUMMY!!

Peaches for me, spell summer!!  The sweet juice which comes running down your chin on a hot summer day -- nothing else says dog days of summer to me!!

4th of July! 

Well, I went without my tripod, so I didn't plan to take any photos, but once the fireworks started, I thought to myself, why not?  At worst I won't get anything, at best I might get something!!  I was delightfully surprised!!

This is how the fireworks truly look to us.  We get so close to where they shoot them off that they often feel and look like they are raining down on our heads.  In fact last night we picked up a 2" piece of casing from the fireworks only inches from our blanket!

I love this one.  I must have moved or said "ooohhh aaaaahhhhh" while I snapped the shot!  Hence all the wigglies.

Hope you all had a wonderful Summer Solstice!  We spent the day just hanging out relaxing. 

However, last night we did go to an area in the city (on top of a parking garage), to get a look at the full moon!!  It was incredible!  Go out all this week and watch the moon rise.  It will look GIGANTIC!!  It's a very cool optical illusion.  Look here for more info about that.  You can also look up what time the moon will rise in your area here.  It was very smoggy and a little cloudy here. We were actually under an ozone alert (yesterday and today).  But that made for a gorgeous moon -- all orangy.

I'm posting a picture of the moon.  You are now warned, that my camera is very limited in taking shots like this.  I'm coveting a new camera that will take landscape shots.  But that's another story.  Anyway, you've been warned.

I was actually impressed that I got this good of a shot.  It's cropped a bit, but not too much.  I snapped about 25 pictures in all, and this was the best.  We'll be going out again tonight to view the rising.  Trying to think of a better location to view from.

Tomorrow I'll update about how the socks are coming along.  With pictures. 

After reading unsckainch's site this morning, I really felt like a slug!!  I was planning on just having a bowl of cereal for myself and Lily.  I didn't want to cook.  But I was so inspired, I whipped up a batch of muffins.  Yummy!  These are just a whole grain recipe that we've made a hundred times.  I would have attempted scones, but we didn't have any fresh berries, nor did I have any buttermilk on hand . . . so I put raisins and yogurt (rather than buttermilk) in the muffins.  Topped them with butter and apricot jelly (Lovebug's request) and we were good to go!! 

Here is a picture of one with a cup of iced soy chai.  Aaaahhhh!!

I think I'll have to go and have another . . .

"How long have you been knitting?" 

 Leafylady asked.

I've been knitting off and on for about 4 years.  LikeWowMom taught me one summer when we stayed at the beach together with our families.  Lovebug was almost 6 mo old that summer.  And boy was it a challenge getting around in town to the yarn shop and grocery.  Remember LikeWow?  When Lovebug cried almost the entire time we were in the car???  I thought we'd never get back to the condo!!  You were a real trooper!! 

I love you my friend!!

When Lovebug got to that stage of getting into everything, I had to put knitting away for about a year.  Since then, I've been knitting regularly between photos and quilt making.

This photo was taken a year later.  I don't seem to have any photo's,

from the summer where I learned to knit, on the computer.

Wow.  Now that was a walk down memory lane!!

Check out who was in the garden today. 

Knitting update:

I have finally finished the Harry Potter Scarf (see left side bar for more info).  I've been working on it off-and-on since last fall.  It was supposed to be a xmas present for Stormy.  It's now a birthday gift.  Oh well, better late than never. 

Okay, it looks a little goofy on a girl in a tank-top in the middle of June, but there you have it.  It's FINISHED!!  Hooray!!

I'm now working on the socks.  It's the first pair I've made and it's the first time I'm using double points.  Arggh.  I'm having a heck of a time getting used to the double points.  I figure it's like all things new . . . there is a learning curve and before long, I'll think it's easy-peasy.

Here is where I was last night:

A couple of hours later:

This is after starting over about four times.  I'm feeling pretty confidant now.  It's starting to take shape and that is encouraging.  With the toe-up pattern, I can try it on as I go, ensuring a "perfect" fit.  I'm liking the colors.  I only bought that color because it was on clearance and it was my first pair of socks.  It's a wool and poly blend.  Normally, I wouldn't go for those colors on my own.

I was talking to LikeWowMom and she warned me not to say this here, but I'm going to anyway.  I don't like wool!!!  I will, most likely, never purchase wool again.  After I use up everything in my stash, that's it.  I don't like the way it feels.  I don't like the way it smells when it's wet.  And worst of all it makes me itchy.  Wool has come a long way, but I still don't like it up against my skin.  I think it comes from having to wear a dark blue "pea coat" when I was about five.  It was a very heavy, itchy, smelly old coat.  I really hated that coat.

I really have been drawn to the plant based yarns, though have not knitted much with them.  That's about to change!!  I'll let you know about the projects to come once I know.

That's it for now . . .