Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Looking for a patio set

I'm looking for a small patio, or bistro set. I'd like to have two chairs, a small table, and possibly a settee. I don't want wicker - but a good quality plastic wicker look would be fine. metal is a plus, but I don't want any bendy seats. I don't want arms on the chairs unless they are wide. I don't want a glass table top. I am picky.
I very much like Martha Stewart's set at Kmart. but the chairs are bendy, and the seats rather small. the settee is nice though. I like these rocking chairs, but am not sure of the rocking mechanism and how sturdy it is.
This other walmart set is more than I am looking for - but there is a ton of furniture here for the price... it also has good reviews...
I will update this more later - i'm thinking out loud here for the most part

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Chicken Lays an Egg

This is a video I made about one of my chickens. She is a princess and feels like she must lay her eggs atop the chicken coup..... she usually rolls them off the chicken coop, they go splat, and Henry runs and eats it. Gross. So if I am at home at 11 am I go out and catch her egg. One day I will attach a basket to the coop, its just not a priority right now. I hope you enjoy this, I plan on making more about all the stuff that goes on around here.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Slacker Update!

I haven't updated in forever! Classes are going well. I'm actually studying and doing my work. I was a MUCH different student the first time around. Today I took a map test in International Politics and I was actually over prepared! I filled out about 50 countries when I only needed to do 10. I know my Professor Opie will be annoyed, but I was bored.

This past Saturday (1 / 31) I took my winterguard to their first contest. They did really well, and placed 9th out of 13 guards in their class. This is an improvement on last year and they had a good time. To read more about that you may go on over to the Grenadier Band Blog and see pictures of the girls as well as a video from practice.

50 books this year? That's going to be an ambitious goal. So far I have started two books. A devil to play, and Back on Blossom street by Debbie Macomber. I lost the former book for several weeks after a cleaning session, and found it last night. I haven't read a significant amount of either of them.... I've been reading text books, so maybe that counts?

Mystery Sock Stash DOWN!!! Its time to open another paper sack with some “surprise” yarn in it. I'll pick a pattern and start on those socks after I finish Rena's computer bag. I ran out of yarn for it so it has been living in the Rav bag for quite a while, but I will finish it this weekend when we go to CHARLESTON!!!!

The SCMEA conference is this weekend and I'm going to keep RR company and learn lots of stuff about band. Much of it will be over my head, like the Farkas book I got in the mail this week. I started reading that and felt like my brain had melted.

Currently I'm sitting in a Firestone store getting new back tired on my bug, and the car saga will be over for a while. Then we have to deal with Ben's teeth and then MAYBE we will have some relief!

I'll be posting this later when I have time at home and can format it properly online :-)
I haven't forgotten about getting the soaps out.... I'm just a slacker!

Friday, January 16, 2009

Painting, and critter kissing

Well I've been feeling a bit better!! Thank the Lord. We are coping with the dry sockets from having my teeth out, but I'll spare you the details!

I've missed spending very much time with my animals while I've been out of commission; so i have been giving the chickens some cuddle time.

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It has been extra cold here lately. Nothing my northern friends would bat an eye at, but we are feeling the pain. I worry about Henry because he doesn't have anyone to snuggle with. When Ben is still at work after I get home in the evening I let him in to have a little bit of snuggle, some treats, and getting the chill off his legs. I think he has been sleeping in the dog house, but I'm not really sure. RR caught us in the snuggle on the couch!

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Because my mouth has been in such disarray I haven't been able to practice my horn, so RR is taking it to the shop to have a little spa treatment! (and get those stuck slides loose!) Hopefully when it comes back I will be all better and I can practice like a crazy person.
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I'd like to post a French Horn video weekly. I may just link it here so ya'll won't loose any hearing. I think it will help me progress if I feel like I have a "concert" every week.

My Winterguard and I painted the tarp yesterday. The girls and I worked really hard, and I really like the way it turned out! I put my footprints down the black strip as a finishing touch.
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This was a manic painting experience, I painted one side of the tarp and the rest of them did the other side. They were being way to careful and slow for me!
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Well thats all for tonight. Tomorrow I need to write some show stuff for my girls, it is also my papa's 80th birthday celebration. I think we are taking Henry. Mom will be there so that should be interesting. I may blog about my issues about that soon :-) Good night ya'll. Stay warm

*** Prayers and good thoughts for Sam, one of our band moms who has breast cancer, and is doing beautifully. Prayers especially for her two girls who are going to have to take care of her for a while ***

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

la vie est (word for crazy)

When I was in college the first time I always befriended the non traditional students.... ya know, those older people going to college later in life. I'm one now. Dang it!

So I started class on Monday, and it was AMAZING..... I listened, and it was so much better than college the first time around because I wasn't scared and I knew where I was going, and if I got lost I knew how to ask for help. SO I'm taking all 101 classes because the state dept said I needed three classes in sociology, econ, and world government. I decided that 101 classes would be the way to go because they would be easy.

This means I also feel like a giant freak because I'm OLD.
*In my first class (econ) a boy (who is pretty, and a mass comm major) called me mam and needed me to point him towards another building since. It was nice to get to be helpful.
*In my second class (soci) our really amazing charismatic prof was telling us that she has great stories to share; like being in Berlin when the wall fell. Well apparently she got some blank stares from this and she asked if any of us were even born before 1989? I got all excited and my hand shot up, and she looked at me and said; "But not by much" to which I replied "1984" and several of the (sorority girls I imagine) kids inhaled like I said I was born in 1700 or something. *I think I'm older than my POLS prof. I'm not really, but he looks like a baby. He is quite funny, and I now regret giggling so much at his jokes, I really felt silly. He was wearing a suit and I thought that odd because thats not a big thing at our school but then he told us where he went to school and it made perfect sense. He went to school with the bloody PRINCE OF ENGLAND...... okay not with him, my prof was there first, but geez it must be a good school.

To my contest winners I'M SORRY I haven't gotten your prizes in the mail yet! I have a PBS book to get off in the mail too and I haven't done it (guilty look). And all my RAK stuff for January. I know ya'll don't mind I just don't want you to think I forgot or anything.

Teeth update: They are still killing me. I called to try and get more pills today (I swear I'm not a crackhead), but they want me to come in tomorrow afternoon. She thinks I may have dry socket. I don't think I do, but what do I know? I'm still on soft food, but I took a walk on the wild side and ate part of ben's taco. I think it was okay because the shell is so brittle. So prayers for the teeth!

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Also, prayers and good thoughts for two of my students (sisters) who are having a hard time at home right now.

Thanks for reading!

Saturday, January 10, 2009

THE WEINerS!

Uh I mean winners!
I consulted the random number generator at random.org and it spit out numbers 7 and 21 and as I am typing this I do not know who's they are.... so i'm gonna hop on over and check. Just a moment!

(moment)


Number 7 is Wierdlings
and
Number 21 is Maureen

Congratulations!
if you two lovelies will please email me your mailing addresses I will send you your prizes (I'll post pictures before I send!)
my email is breezy quarters at gmail dot com (no spaces of course)

Any now for a funny update!

I teach colorguard, some of you may know that. Well, this week was the kids' first week back at school and I was out. My lovely band director substituted for me, and basically all she needed to do was make sure they didn't kill each other.

The first day everything was fine, just the usual distractions, cell phones, laziness. But everything was okay. Thursday didn't go so well. The girls needed to clean our "floor" (this is a gym sized mat we use as a backdrop / floor protector) so we can paint it this coming week. Well a few of the girls didn't want to do it, and as soon as RR went to the rest room the fire alarm went off. My Captain was crying and was terrified she was going to go to jail because she tried to press the lever back in and her fingerprints were on it. Some of the girls were still busy scrubbing the floor. No one knows who pulled it. (but there are suspicions)

RR got the problem fixed, the fire department didn't come, they finished the tarp and RR told the girls that the worst part was that "Now I have to go tell Paige!" and the girls don't want her to tell me, it can be their little secret they say. lol. So RR comes to the house to report the afternoons activity and I laughed so hard I was crying and my mouth was hurting SO bad!

If it had happened while I was there, children would be crying, and they wouldn't have been able to leave until I find out who did it! (maybe that will be practice Tuesday)

There will be a "Come to Jesus" meeting on Tuesday, and I'm sure lots of drama.

Friday was my first day venturing out of the house since I had surgery. RR took me to Augusta to see Mama Mia! and we also tried to go to an LYS (In Stitches) but couldn't find it. Maybe it closed? I'll have to search for it on Ravelry.

So we went to Jo Ann's. I had never been to a JA's before, and I was disappointed at their selection. I also looked for a ball winder, as I had seen them on their website, but the people that worked there didn't know what they were, and when they found someone that knew what they were told me they were like $149. Uh no they aren't, more like $30. So a helpful knitter wanted to know what I was looking for and I told her, and she said that I could just drape it over a chair. I explained I didn't want a Skein stretcher, I want a BALL WINDER. Then I was told I could just do it myself. Yes, I am aware I can do it myself, I just wanted to consider NOT doing it for myself. Then I showed her my socks.

I bought about 8 (maybe 10 ) hanks (balls? skeins? ) of Paton's wool to make RR a computer bag from S & B Nation. I will start on that project after I read my horn book. Maybe I can finish it today.

Have a good weekend ya'll. Thanks for reading, and Congrats to the winners!

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Nom to your mother.


I can count the things I have eaten since monday on one hand. I've had jello, grits, soup, banana, and ice cream. I haven't even gone to the bathroom since monday. This upsets me, because I am a very regular person. Sorry if this is TMI, but I'm on meds so I have an excuse :-) . All I can think about are the things I want to eat when I get better. Dad called to check on me today and informed me that he is having a steak tonight. A BIG JUICY STEAK!!!! It will be overcooked of course, but its MEAT. I'm craving Maria's right now.... I want corn chips with salsa and cheese, a crunchy taco, and a beef burrito. I'd go into all the things I want to eat, but I will just have a sad. I'm starving, so i'll have a cup of applesauce..... Comment and tell me all the things I should eat when I am better!

Monday, January 5, 2009

All out of Wisdom

Teeth that is.

I have a great fear of pain. Recently I had my first cavity filled, and the dentist was more than happy to give me Nitrous Oxide to ease my worries. It worked so well I decided that I could have my teeth taken out and the NO2 would be better than being put to sleep.

My husband also had his WTs out, but with only a local anesthetic..... but he is super man so I can't be expected to be that tough.

I went in for my consultation on December 1st, all the talk of the procedure and risks made me very nervous, so the surgeon wrote me an Rx for a Valium to help keep me calm the day of surgery.

Last night I stayed up until 2 am happily knitting away and downing peppermint tea thinking that i would get my socks done, and I would also do a little cleansing so the Valium would work really well!

I got up this morning, took a shower. DH took great care of me, made me coffee, fetched this and that, fed the animals. He was really on task, wanting to make my day go as smoothly as possible. I took my pill at 8:30 because I was supposed to be at the office at 9:45.

I started to feel it on the way to the office, which is a good 30 minutes away. For those of you that are curious about what Valium "feels like" (i was) it really didn't feel like anything. I felt numb. My brain was working fine, I was thinking in my normal (?) hearing my self think way, but I wasn't nervous. It really did help. For the car ride. ack. well because of all the tea the night before I had to pee. (If my dad ever reads this he will be furious that I have talked about peeing on the internet) I peed a ton. Three times. I metabolized the magic pill pretty quickly.

By 10:45 when I hadn't been called back yet the foot started tapping and my palms started sweating, and then I started crying. Soon after the waterworks started we went into the room.
The room was only about 20 x 20 and resembled a small torture chamber as most dental rooms do. There was an IV bag hanging, a heart monitor box (that looked like it was from the 80s) and a chair in the corner. I sat in the obvious big torture chair, and Ben (dh) sat in the corner. An assistant came in and hooked me up to the monitor, she could have been an intern on gray's because she was beautiful, and i'm sure smart, but I wasn't too sure she was very confidant. She ended up taking really good care of me during the surgery.

The Surgeon started the NO2, put some gel on my gums to numb them (hurricaine gel rocks you can order it from your pharmacy or online. its really expensive, but worth it for dental problems NDC 0283-0871-31) and then started numbing my gums with injections. For those who are squeamish about shots as I am. With NO2 you can feel everything you would as if you were not.... you just don't care. He started on my right side, and then moved to the left. He then started the extractions. My top teeth were still under my gums, but i never felt him cut. My surgeon was really good about telling me what he was doing. I also had my ipod which was a great help, because if i need to I can concentrate on the music. It was also not loud enough that I couldn't hear him in case I really needed to. I was listening to Mozart's Horn Concertos. The top teeth really weren't bad. It wasn't fun mind you, but it wasn't horrible. I got more nervous with the bottom teeth and my legs started to quiver, so Ben moved up beside me and held my hand, I could talk to him that way and that was the best part. My ipod ran out of songs and he started it up again for me, he squeezed back when I squeezed his hand, he also knew not to worry when I started doing my horn fingerings on his hand when I got really nervous.

I was out of the operating room about an hour and 15 minutes after we got started. Walking around wasn't easy for me, mostly from being in one place too long.

We went home, ben got me settled and he went off to get my Rx filled. Ben changed my gauze what seemed like a million times. Ate some apple sauce, took some advil, cried because i couldn't feed myself, and then went to bed. I'm still in bed, I haven't been to sleep yet, but I will soon. I guess I just want to brag on my husband today. He has taken such good care of me, he really is amazing. He chopped up a banana for me, took me to the bathroom, scrambled me some eggs because I needed protein. I feel decent right now because he is so wonderful. I just can't say enough about him. He is my hero. I am so blessed..........

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Sunday, January 4, 2009

Stash down 2009

We knitters have this thing called stash. Its sort of a living thing, always changing, growing, and eating up our yarn allowance. Husbands and stashes are often in conflict. My stash is ample, but not near what other knitters have collected. I'd like to get it under control now, and not just have yarn laying around for years and years that I never get to use. There is a limit on how much you can knit, and how much you can buy, so I will be knitting from my stash until it is devoid of sock yarn.
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On ravelry there is a Stash Down group, challenging its members to do things like knit 52 items (socks maybe) in 52 weeks and other such similar concepts.
I decided to take on socks because for some reason I have lots and lots of sock yarn, and I like knitting socks, so it works.
I have separated my sock yarn into paper bags that are stapled shut. They are numbered 1 - 12 and each month I will choose a bag and knit from it. Some people that are participating have already picked their patterns and included it in their bags, but I'm going to pick my patterns as I go.
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This month I needed to finish a pattern that I have had on the needles for over 6 months I'm going to estimate. I am determined to finish them tonight before I have my wisdom teeth out tomorrow morning. I don't really know why I left these socks undone for so long. It might be the yarn, I'm using Tofutsies and its a really "splitty" yarn. I really like the colorways, and I know other people like it a lot, I really wasn't a fan at first. It has gotten better to knit with as the project progressed, but how it wears will determine if I buy this yarn again.
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The pattern I'm using is the famous "Monkey" its the most popular sock pattern on ravelry. I've enjoyed knitting it, but I'm ready for it to be over. I feel that way about all pattern by the end of a project.
Every Lace pattern I have ever used claims to be "easy to memorize" I can never memorize them, but that might just be me. I also used the magic loop method, and got really bad ladders coming from the back of the sock to the front but not on the other side, so I knit the first stitch of every row instead of purling. Well I'm going back to my sock.... happy knitting.
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Saturday, January 3, 2009

Yea! for YARN - Yes Yarn that is!

My LYS (local yarn store) was previously located in a cozy loft in the back of a quilting shop. It has grown to need a new location, and has moved just down the street a bit to a much larger location, with plenty or parking.... and papa johns pizza right around the corner :-)
Today was the Grand Re-opening, and even though I have been in much pain with my wisdom teeth I was going!

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I was AMAZED at what greeted me at the door - TONS or yarn neatly organized along the long wall starting with sock and graduating to the bulky and the super bulky.

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The shop was full of people looking for this and that, tasting the scones that Debbie made. (they were RAVING, I didn't get to taste, but maybe I will get to later) I was totally overwhelmed. I had planned on just getting a skein of whatever looked good at the moment as my purchase, but I couldn't decide! So I figured I needed to take the plunge and knit a vest. To me a vest in a step before a sweater. I would like to knit a sweater, but I'm afraid. So Margaret, the proprietor extraordinaire grabbed up some pattern books and I plopped down and looked through them. I really liked a vest in The yarn girls' guide to knits for all seasons, and Margaret recommended it. I decided on Galaway Highland Heather in a nice dark greenbluepurple shade.
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When I checked out I also got to enter to win a fabulous door prize, shown here by YY's door man.

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ihopeiwin ihopeiwin i hope i WIIIIIIINNNN!!!! I've never won anything. Ever. Oh well. So that was my trip to YY's re-opening. If you are ever in the area please go check it out. M and D really are amazing people.

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Friday, January 2, 2009

Book Challenge

I hated reading when I was in elementary school! In the third grade my teacher was Ms. Russell and we had to do a book report. I waited until the last minute to read my chapter book, my dad was really mad at me for it. He found a book for me and told me I couldn't come out of my room until I read half the book. I piddled around my room pouting for a while, and then I picked up the book and finally got on with it. Later that evening dad came in to check on me and see if I wanted to take a break for dinner. I didn't want to put my book down, I refused to eat dinner that night and finished my book at around midnight. I was hooked. After that struggle it was never a problem for me to grab at a bit of fiction and escape. My parents signed me up for the Baby Sitters Club book club and I read every single one. Reading got me through a lot of the tough times in my child hood, and I've let leisure reading take a backseat to other things in life. This year I want to make it more of a priority. I want to read 50 books this year. I'm not going to say that it will be one a week, it may be one a month until summer, and I guess it depends on what it is I am reading.
If you don't know about Paper Back Swap you should really check (me) it out. Basically you share your used books with the world, and you get some in return. I tried a couple of other book swapping sights and this one really is the best. Most of the books I read this year will end up there, but not the first one. Currently I'm reading A Devil to Play by Jasper Rees....its about his attempt at mastering the french horn in a year. I am also learning to play the horn, so I'm reading it for inspiration.

What are you currently reading?

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Ten Lousy Bucks

For those of you that are knitters you probably know about Ravelry . For those of you that don't know what Ravelry is, its a great online knitting community. Patterns, yarns, people, common interest groups. Its really great, and to keep it free people often start fundraisers, called ravelraisers. The thought is that those who can, will donate, to keep ravelry free. I tend to be a VERY frugal person, and shy away from donating willy nilly. THIS is something I will be donating to. If you use Ravelry friend me! My user name is Breezyquarters. And go donate your 10 bucks, I am!

and now your daily fiber....
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