Sunday, December 31, 2006
It's officially New Year now. I guess I will go to bed.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
I sometimes feel llike a failure as a blogger. Life gets in my way and I forget all about the keyboard. Or I'm just too lazy, or nothings happening on this end or fill in the blanks and use an excuse that sounds plausible. Thanksgiving was low-key at our house this year. Jim and Allison stayed at home. Who wouldn't with the quads? Mother and I went to Knoxville a week before and stayed all day. The quads are 5 months old now and starting to teethe. I just cannot describe the joy I feel when I am with them, think about them, or talk about them. They could easily become my whole life. Maybe it's a blessing I am 2 and a half hours away from them. Clay and Carey were also there. Carey is rounding out nicely in her pregnancy. Little Tyler Jacob is growing well and doing fine as far as we know. He is still a prime candidate for Cystic Fibrosis but that doesn't alter in any way my longing to hold him in my arms. A woman my sister knows has three CF children. One of her sons when he was young called ut 65 roses. I love that.
Monday, September 25, 2006
For Angi about Horton
I attended Shakerag in Sewannee TN and learned to spin. Kinda. I just HAD to have a wheel and my wonderful Pauly bought me one. I ordered it ( a Lendrum DT) with all the bells and whistles from a store somewhere out of state. It was supposed to be here in three days. It wasn't. I waited and waited and called UPS and the store and they each blamed the other. Naturally. Finally my wheel arrived. Horror!!! I didn't know one single thing about a spinning wheel, I trusted my expert friends to turn me on to the right wheel for me. They did good. I digress, as usual. With trembling fingers and shaking hands I gingerely put my wheel together. In the privacy of my living room I treddled and treddled getting the feel of things. A good friend (Blaine) told me to do that and it was good advice. But there was a clicking noise. Not good. I didn't know where it was coming from so I called Lynne and arranged to meet her with my wheel. She agreeed that the noise wasn't good. so she just got on the phone and called Gorden Lendrum (and impressed the hell out of me) and he said " they let the elephant sit on it." He told her the adjustment to make and sure enough the noise stopped. (it has come and gone again since then). Letting the elephant sit on it made me think of Dr. Suess and Horton. You know, the elephant that sat on the egg for a year or more? Horton heard a Who too, but that is another story. I HAD to name my wheel Horton after that and I don't even like the name. It fits nevertheless. So now you know the rest of the story and Angi, you have to tell me yours now.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
I'm still here
I am back to my day to day boring stuff. I go to work, come home, spin or knit if I am not too tired, go to bed and do it all again tomorrow. I am, however, going to SAFF again this year. I would love to see some of my Twisted Friends there. Still working on SHAWL. I have started thinking of it as an entity destined to show me that I do NOT KNOW HOW TO KNIT! I am going to start a pair of socks out of sheer self preservation. And Horton (my wheel) is feeling pretty lonely so I am going to spin some right now.
Monday, September 04, 2006
Major pet peeve
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Whew!!!
On the bright side, it finally rained a little and cooled things off and that was nice. Too bad it stopped before the cookouts. (giggle)
I notice my avatar didn't change this time. It's supposed to have a pet pig in it. Maybe it will now, we'll see.
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Finally getting around to it.
It's easy to keep up a blog when all you do is sit on your donkey all day. Not so easy when you have too many things on your plate.
Thomas is home and the Quad Squad is complete. God Bless them. I am back at work and feeding all the people that eat like pigs even when it is 90 plus outside. Notice the avatar pet.
I got some really interesting tomatoes from one of our maintainence men today. They are pear-shaped and black at the top. They are supposed to look like that! They taste good but the color is a little off-putting. We are roasting and freezing green chili from our garden. I grew up in Belen, New Mexico and my family just cannot survive without that luscious green good stuff. Or at least we don't think we can, so we go to the trouble of making sure we have it around at all times. I am famous in the fam for making the best salsa to cross a set of teeth. Probably undeserved, but I take praise wherever I can get it.
I have been so busy with the Quad Squad this summer that I haven't been knitting or spinning. Needless to say I am Jonesing badly. I will spin when things settle down at work and I can get some time off. Actually, I have been TRYING to knit a shawl. I have been in the frog pond so long I am getting wrinkly fingers. Lace is so TOTALLY unforgiving. It isn't that hard to knit and yos are easy for me, but counting must be a foreign thing for me. I will finish this blasted shawl even if I have to put my wheel in storage. I am getting really mad now and that makes me a very determined gal.
I am posting a pic of the babiers and then I am doing meds and bed. See y'all later.
Babies on the quilt are from left to right, Jonathan, Zachary, Reagan, and Thomas. In the other pic, from top left Jonathan, Thomas, Zachary, and Reagan.
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Friday, August 04, 2006
Sunday, July 30, 2006
There's no place like home, there's no place like home
I got home yesterday, slept well last night and still feel like I've been "rode hard and put up wet". Nothing like babies to let you know how much you've aged. I told Paul last night that if I was offered $500 to spin one ounce of fiber I would have to pass it up. That should tell everyone how exhausted I was. Alllison was so insistent that she and Jim could take care of the three babies that are home. I think that last night proved how hard that could be. I hope anyway. I know that she wanted her house to herself and her family, but reality is that it is impossible for the two of them to manage without help. She even sent her own mother home. I feel so sorry for Jim. He is trying to run the household, take care of babies, and still go to work at the same time. Any bets on how long that can last? My vote is that it is already over. Yes I am angry and cranky. I will get over it.
The babies are delightful. Zachary has colic and is only pain-free if he is being held against a warm, calm tummy. Or in my Mom's case a very generous bosom. Reagan has some tummy issues too, but not as bad as Zachary. Jonathan is a laid back little dude. He sleeps while he is taking his bottle. Very little perturbs him. Thomas is improving and is taking half of his meals from a bottle now. He weighs over 6 lbs. As soon as he takes all his meals from the bottle he can come home. The pictures were taken on their 1 month birthday. Gotta go take a nap now. I wish Jim could.
Friday, July 28, 2006
country roads take me home
Thomas is still in NICU but he is also improving. He is taking a bottle 4 out of 8 feedings a day. When he takes them all by bottle he can come home.
No new pics to post this time. Hopefully I can get some good ones today. Talk to ya later.
Sunday, July 23, 2006
I have been in Knoxville for a week now. I am so used to looking after three babies that it feels "normal". That's scary. It's amazing how much you can accomplish on so little rest. Zachary has colic just like his Dad did. Jim needed to know that you cannot spoil 1 month old babies. Poor little thing NEEDS to have his tummy against someone warm and relaxed. He asked me and Mom how we did it. been there, done that, bought the T-shirt! We knew what it was and what to expect and we didn't have a work schedule to meet or cooking etc., so we could be relaxed and patient. Something first-time moms and dads have to learn. And boy is the lesson painful! For Jim it is twice as painful. He thought he could handle all of this on no rest or knowlege. He is learning.
Thomas is still in NICU. He is not in any danger, he just needs to catch up in the eating and breathing categories. He is improving slowly, like his mom. Allison is doing much better, but her eyesight is still not up to par.
Saturday, July 15, 2006
I will try to keep everyone updated. I am sure that Jim will fix it so that I can. He is one of my two computer gurus. Later, Pam
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Bu-bye now.
thomas is still in the hospital. His little jaw muscles still aren't strong enough to suck enough formula to keep him thriving. He has gained weight and weighs 5lbs 3ozs now. When he can take all his food from a bottle (instead of a tube) for 3 days in a row he can come home. Zachary has a touch of colic. I KNEW their was a reason he kept drawing his little knees up to his tummy and kicking. Jim had 6 month colic so I knew what I was seeing. (See, I knew Zachary was going to make Jim pay for his raising)
The congregation at mothers' church is collectiong diapers (or maybe gift certificates) for the babies. These nice people have been very supporting for the long haul and we cnnot thank them enough.
Monday, July 10, 2006
little time out
I went to see the babies on Saturday. Already they are developing distinct personalities. Zachary is fussy and spits out the pacifier and kicks off his blanket. Reagan will not sleep in the crib with the boys, preferring the vibrating bouncy seat. Jonathan is oblivious. He just eats and sleeps and is content to do so . Thomas is still lagging behind. Until lhe takes a bottle every four hours like the others he cannot come home.
I have been so busy with this blog and the other one that I just had to take yesterday off. A little computer time out if you will. But I am back with new pictures. The little blond cutey is Kinley, the quads' first cousin. She belongs to Allisons' sister Jody. she is a year old and absolutely delightful to be around. I got to feed and change Reagan while I was there. They are still so little that they aren't held for very long. They have still got some catching up to do.The pictures are of Reagan and Zachary. I don't know how I ended up with two pics of Reagan and none of Zachary. I will make up for it later.
The
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
All blogged down
Blog blog who's got the blog? I tried, I really did, to make the TF blog open to all the twisted friends. Not good the way I did it. Long story short: Lynne is helping me set up a blog (or setting one up herself) that we can all post on. Yipee!
I was such a bad girl at the retreat (diet-wise) that I am now paying for it. My feet hurt so bad I can't walk. Great excuse for sittin&knittin. Paul says I just (just?) have gout. Dunno. Never had it. Whatever the cause, I'm not going anywhere .
Three of the babies are coming home tomorrow morning. Jim says Thomas will soon follow. He is still in formula and sucking training. He is now in the crib with the rest of them. Aren't they adorable? Allison is still lacking about half of her eyesight. In perspective, she can't see well enough to put a key in a keyhole. Don't know if it will ever get better. But she is still with us and that was iffy for a while.
I am going to sit back in my recliner and pick up my needles now. Later. It's later now, like the next day, and this silly thing still isn't where I want it. Republishing.....
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Happy Fourth
Monday, July 03, 2006
I'm back
Well, I am home from Crane Hill and the Red Rooster Retreat. It was one of the best things to happen to me except the Quads. We all had a great time and added three new Twisted Friends to the ranks. We would have had four, but poor Terri wasn't able to come. Next time Terri? How about SAFF? How many of us can meet there? I am planning to be there.
If any of you want to keep up with the Twisted Friends, I have created a new blog for us. The addy is twistedfriends.blogspot.com. Please post comments and give me your feedback.
On a personal note: Little Thomas is off the respirator and is taking small amounts of milk with a bottle. He is still getting most of his nourishment through a tube but is improving daily. Allison still does not have her eyesight back totally. It may never come back but I am praying hard for her complete recovery. Please keep her in your prayers also. Here are some pics of our trip. Wish I could get the text under the pics but oh well.
If I left anyone out of the pictures I will get you next time somewhere. I need to knit now. Love.... Hmph! I have been trying since 9:00 this morning to get this post to show up. I am getting frustrated now.
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
see ya later
I hope my avatar jumps to this posting. Carolyn helped me put her in my sidebar. Since this is a fantastical journey, she is all decked out in fantasy.
I don't have much of an update. Allison is feeling poorly and had to have a ct scan last night. May be something going on in there that was missed. Thomas is now off the respirator. Hooray!
Well, I will "see" y'all on Sunday or Monday. With pictures. Ta ta.
news flash:
Allison is doing great!!!!! Scan showed nothing but fluid and her 100% normal kidneys will take care of that in due time. She is still partly blind. I don't know much about that except that it usually clears up in time too. She got to see her babies for the first time yesterday and held and fed Jonathan. (note the corrected spelling of his name) . The dr. says she may get to go home this weekend. I believe the babies will be staying for a while. I just had to tell y'all the glorious news. Angi (note the corrected spelling here too)I still can't post on your blog. What url should I use?
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Start packing
Well I have been sorting my rovings and yarn and trying to get organized for the trip to Alabama tomorrow. Tomorrow, tomorrow, is only a day away. I just can't believe it's been a year since I first learned to dye and spin. I will be picking Jennifer up at the airport in Nashville and then we're off to Crane Hill and a reunion with our "Twisted Friends".
Allison has been moved to another room and is no longer catherized. She is a little nauseous still and hasn't seen her babies yet. Maybe today. I hope.
I have borrowed an idea from Caroline and made myself an avatar. Wouldn't you just know I could have a lamb for a pet? Ya gotta love it. AT Yahoo she moves. I 'll be playing with her more later. Gotta start packing. I mean cleaning. Can't pack it until I can find it
Monday, June 26, 2006
I am going to have a busy day today. I am going to start packing for our reunion/retreat in Alabama. If I don't start now I am liable to forget something vital. I have so much that I want to take that I am mostly going to be choosing the things to leave behind.
Saturday, June 24, 2006
small update
Allison is better this morning. Thank You God. Her vision is improved and her urine output ils better. You go girl! Flush that bad stuff out of your body. That is all I know for now.
Anji asked me about Carey. I didn't forget about her I have just been a little pre-occupied. Seems like the shadow on the ultrasound was a cyst. The doctor drained it. Carey is pregnant and due about Feb. if everything goes ok. Five grandchildren within two years! They sure are "gittin r done". That last is for Jennifer who just listened to Larry the Cable Guy for the first time.
A ps: Allison is awake, alert, at herself, eating a little, and passing urine like a Missouri mule on a flat rock. Hooray!
And while I was worrying and praying I dyed my silk. Notice the difference in color from outside to inside. Neither pic does it justice.
Friday, June 23, 2006
new update
Thursday, June 22, 2006
update
Three of the babies are doing fine. Little Thomas still has a breathing problem. They are hoping medication will take care of that, if not, a simple surgery procedure will fix it. Allison on the other hand is one very sick lady. She has pre-eclampsia, had lost a lot of blood . Her blood pressure at one point was 51 over 30 and we thought we were going to lose her. After 5 units of blood things are improving and her bp is now 109 over 65. Not great but a lot better. Her kidneys were not producing either but that is improving now. We are all praying very hard for her.
On a lighter note: Jennifers' little bear. Is he not adorable? She did him with a merino batt. I gotta learn how to do that. you all know that I am going to pick your minds for all the info I can get when I see you next week.
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
They are here!!!!!!
At 4:30 today my babies were finally born. Well not really mine, but I claim them all the same. We were surprised that one of the boys was larger than Reagan(the girl) He was a whopping 5lbs+. The rest were over 4and a half pounds. Little Johnathan, Zachary, Reagan and Thomas are all doing well. Only two of them are on respirators and little reagan is already sucking a pacifier. She is the one being held up. I haven't sorted out who is who with the boys. I didn't know babies that were premature had to learn how to suck but they do. Allison lost quite a bit of blood and is nauseous. All seem to be doing fine over all.
I was in the middle of dying roving when I got the call. Needless to say I came home to a soggy colorful mess. ( I took some of the color with me on my arms and hands) I wasn't too concerned with appearances. Well here are some pictures of my lovely younglings:
The babies aren't very small as you can see. I am so thankful that they are here and Allison can get some relief. It is past midnight now and I am off to bed . More later.
Monday, June 12, 2006
This is a picture of my oldest son, Clay, and his wife Carey. Today is her birthday and she got the lousiest gift in the world. For the 2nd time in 5 months she has to have surgery for an ectopic pregnancy. One of my sons has enough babies to share, and the other cannot seem to have even one. God surely does work in mysterious ways........A PS to this post. Turns out that Carey had a cyst on her tube and is either still pregnant or has had a miscarriage. I may not survive my children having children.
Sunday, June 11, 2006
Well here is the latest pic of Allison. I don't know how she can go much longer. I hurt for her. She is still doing great but I think she looks tired. Can't imagine why.
I told Caroline that since she showed a dye job she hated I would show one of mine. The colors were all supposed to be as bright and crisp as the red. I dyed other rovings that day and they all came out good. I used the same technique and even used fresh dye. All the colors washed out except the red. It's all muddy looking. The other roving was dyed that day too and I honestly did not plan for it to come out the way it did, but its kinda neat. the purple is in the middle and the green is on either end. I made two coils of the roving and pour dyed it. And it just came out that way. I wish I could remember how I did it.
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
A little nostalgia here. Remember my brains and dredlocks? My very first spinning on a drop spindle. The yellow was at the end of the Shakerag class taught by Lynne, Sandy, and Lori. I am now hearing I-told-you-sos from friends that were in the class with me. For those of you who don't know, Spinnin Skinny is the title of this blog because I really really wanted to learn to spin like everyone else in the class. I am there now and wish I could spin designer yarn on purpose. I have been dying today and I am never satisfied with my results. Everyone else loves my rovings and I just want them to come out like I see them in my mind. Of course I am not right in the head so maybe that is the reason.
Allison is in week 32 and going strong. Her doctor is is amazed that she is doing so well. I guess that the babies are going to come here full term. Or almost Thank you God for taking care of the babies. Poor Jim and Allison were kind of hoping to have Allison come home without the babies so Allisom could recuperate for a while. I don't think that is going to happen. I think that they are coming home with her. I am so scared that they will be born while I am supposed to be in Alabama. I have obligations that I cannot ignore. Stuff happens. I am still going to the reunion/retreat and having a great time.
Thursday, June 01, 2006
I have been knitting up some socks to take to the reunion and spinning up some stuff I dyed. I cannot believe that I spun that merino/tencel so blasted thin that I wish I had navajo plyed it. I had to cast on 72 sts it's so thin. It will take me a week and a half to knit these socks instead of a day and a half. My nursie sis Kathy wants to pound on my head for wearing my socks instead of selling them as art. HMPH! I don't have enough socks yet. Does one ever have enough socks? Here is what I have been working with: OOPS! I really wanted the pic here. Oh well. I am still learning and just proud and happy to have the picture anywhere. Note the middle left cuff. That is the skinny stuff but it ain't the only one. 'Give me some feed back. What do think about my colors. Don't be afraild to be honest. I don't take it personally and I really want to learn
Baby update. Allison is going into week 32 and doing it like a pro. Her Dr. sent her home for another week. She is just amazing. Babies probably weilgh close to 4 lbs each now. We have names. Reagan Leanne for the girl. Johnathan Carl, Zachary Frankllin, and Thomas Ervin. The Ervin is my Dads' middle name. My Mom cried when she found out they named one of the boys after Daddy. Well darn it I got a litle teary eyed myself.
I gotta go. Alumni weekend coming up and all those people want to eat and drilnk and breath and drink and play and drinkand drink and drink and make our lives as miserable as possible. But I am free as a bird after this. Than you God. I don't have a thing agailnst drinking but these people take it to new limits. And expect us to have ilt ready for them. Oh well. Later.
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Hey, Sandy,
I will post pics of Allison if I get any more. Jim is supposed to send me some but he isn't very reliable at sending stuff. But here is a pic of my latest sock: Meloncolored Baby. The key lime isn't as deep as I would like but overall I like it. The colors are yellow, key lime, watermelon, and cantalope, hence "meloncolored". My bad. It's ninety degrees and breezy here today just right for dying but unfortunately I think I picked up a bug somewhere and don't feel like doing much of anything. Did you see Carolyns' colors on her blog? Fabulous. I have been looking at the silkworkers rovings. I really like her colorways. I wish I could duplicate them. Or maybe just get close.
I will close for now. Feeling yucky.
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Startin all over
Hello everyone. I got so frustrated with my blog that I deleted it and am starting alllllll over again.
Babies update: Allison is sailing into week 31 and doing great. Her doctor thinks she may go as long as 35 weeks. If she does the babies will be normal birth weight. They are currently over 3 and a half lbs each now. That is normal size for a single birth baby. Poor Allison will neever be the same. I hurt all over for her.
Fiber stuff. I am spinning up some things I dyed last month. I can't seem to get to my needles for the wheel but I am going to knit some socks to take to our reunion in June. I can't wait to see everyone again.
This was Allison at approximately 16 weeks. I can't imagine what she looks like now. I havent seen her is a while.
.`-