Previous Life?

Never too young to start with taking care of your nails!

This is my manicurist Nancy she's been taking care of my nails for over 15 years as I was getting ready for traveling on the high seas I had an appointment to have my toe nails painted bright red getting ready for all those socks I'm knitting on the high seas.

Just before me this adorable little one was getting her manicure and pedicure done. Her father patiently waiting for her. He tells me that she is 3 years old (cute as a button) and she insists to be brought in to the beauty shop to have her nails done. Strange he told me he had no idea where she got it from but she has been asking to have her nails done since she is 2 years old and could talk.

I asked if her mother brought her in to the shop to have it done and he told me no, she saw Nancy through the window and knew what it was and wanted to have her nails done.



One of the clients chimed in "She must have been a beautician in a previous life"! Maybe?

I could not resist so I snapped this picture of her and Nancy. Of course when I pulled out my regular camera it was out of battery so I had to shoot it with my cell phone's camera . At least on my computer it looks pretty good for a phone picture. I should use this feature more often.

Packed all my yarn and needles and I'm off to the Royal Carribean for the "Sea Sock Cruise".

Bon Voyage Mommy

You would think that I have mentioned the fact that I like chicken and only chicken so many times now that SHE would know this. But noooooo SHE is feeding us some left over beef sort of stuff. I think it's called a porterhouse steak. They were eating it last night and it did kind of smell good and I saw a great bone that went with it but SHE would not let me have the bone!

Why? Who made up this rule not to feed dogs bones? This is ridiculous dogs and bones go together for goodness sake! SHE says that I throw up if I chew on a bone. So what's the big deal? What's a little throw up who doesn't throw up after they chew on bones? Besides there is a pay off SHE has to clean it up, HA! I do have small ways to get back at her.

Then SHE is so crazy that SHE weighs each portion God Forbid I should get an extra morsel than my brother I am the Queen here! SHE always wants to be exact so my brother gets the same exact meal I get, what is that all about? As the Alpha dog around here I should get the larger portion! Everybody knows that the Alpha dog has so much more responsibilities then the rest of the pack. I have to take care of so many things to keep HER safe and alert her for every danger in my territory!

Just yesterday this deranged cat came walking by on the top of the fence. Well I threw a fit, that cat could have been rabid and bit HER then what? But thank goodness I did my job and screamed and chased until that cat was out of here! Then if you can imagine SHE yells at me for making too much noise! I get no respect at all.

Now I see a suitcase and SHE is packing, I think SHE may be leaving. Oh at last I will finally be Queen of the house! Papa is easy he does everything I tell him to do. I bet I can get him to go get me chicken from the restaurant every day! I can hardly wait.

The Bitch

From the Boy,

Oh no mommy is leaving us I see suitcases being packed and I am so worried that she won't come back. I'm always sad when she leaves me I love her so much and will miss her. She does need a vacation and I know she will have so much fun I can see the fun things she is packing. Yarn and knitting needles, she loves to knit maybe one day she might knit me a sweater I love to get dressed up.

She may even have started a sweater already but it takes a long time to make them, I will be patient, when it's done I will wear that sweater all the time. I know I will love it. Bon voyage mommy hurry back.

Love,
The Boy

A limerick...

My friend Carol who is not a knitter, called me last night .....

Me: Oh Carol I can't talk right now.
Carol: Why?
Me: I'm just busy.
Carol: What are you doing?
Me: Knitting a sock.
Carol: Knitting a sock?
Me: Yes knitting a sock and I forgot how to turn the heel and I am in a tizzy. I'm going on a Sea Sock knitting Cruise and I forgot how to turn a heel!
Carol: Are you sure you are alright?
Me: No, I have to choose sock yarn to take what needles to pack and figure out how to turn a heel!
Carol: Let me see if I understand this you are going on a Cruise and you will be knitting socks on the high seas?
Me: Yes, doesn't that sound glorious, to be cruising along and knitting socks.....
Carol: Oh I'm worried, I think you have crossed over the line. I'll call you tomorrow

Then I checked my eMail and Carol sent me this limerick.

There once was a woman named AnaBanana,
Who loved to sail and to knit
What shall I do cried she in a fit
As she sat on the keel,
I've forgotten how to turn a heel!

Then I got this other limerick from Carol, she is very talented with words and is a great artist.

There was a knitter named Ana
One day she said, "Oh damma!"
How bad I feel
My head does reel
Cause I forgot
How to turn a heel!

But harmless and much fun, it certainly brought a smile to my face.

I hate to keep complaining but....

SHE is so silly.... after living together for all these years SHE still does not realize how smart I really am, I get no respect at all. I woke up this morning bright and early around 4 am my usual magic hour that I like to first wake up and I yelped a few times for HER to come and open the door. SHE really gets annoyed with this one I don't know why if I'm awake SHE should be awake too is my motto.

Anyway I was so hungry and had to tinkle and finally SHE got up and awake enough for me to communicate with HER. I was sending HER mental messages, well I can't talk like humans I do have a number of noises that I can make and SHE usually understands. Not this morning she is just ignoring me!

SHE gave me such a lousy dinner last night I barely got a half of chicken breast and the way SHE cooked it oh...... but I ate it then I was still hungry and SHE tells me to eat kibble. Kibble those dry little may even have poison in them dog food kibble? What is SHE thinking? But I was forced to eat them the dry little droplets that look like rabbit droppings but I ate it out of desperation.

I am still hungry this morning and I want her to cook me something delicious so I spotted HER apron in the dining room (not where it belongs) and I know what that apron means cooking! So I sit down and start trying to get HER attention, I bark, I scream and SHE is just looking at me like I'm crazy. SHE's asking me what I want by the chair what's in the apron?

Isn't this obvious I'm pointing at HER apron so she would put it on and cook breakfast! Oh I have my job cut out for me, SHE is so slow...... I suppose she would rather go upstairs and knit! Knit, knit that is all she wants to do and the yarn collection she has crossed over "the line" with this one for sure! I'll have to tell you about that another time.


The Bitch

and from the Boy

I had the most delicious dinner last night chicken breast cooked by my favorite chef, mommy. She is such a wonderful talented cook, cooks for me from "scratch" so delicious! Always a wonderful variety of food so I don't get bored. I am the luckiest dog on the planet.

I think I will go take a nap my sister tried to wake us all up at the crack of dawn, I hate her sometimes. That Bitch never respects the fact that I like to sleep in I need at least 12 hours a day of sleeping/resting time. I work so hard during the day guarding, barking and alerting everybody I get exhausted so I need my sleep!

Have a wonderful day!

The Boy

I'm cheating!

I walked in to my favorite LYS actually I was planning to go next door to the sewing store but all that yarn just draws me in I am so weak when it comes to yarn I have so much but I still want more. I was after some silk thread to sew my newest design. I've been working on in the last couple of weeks. Lots of knitting, counting rows designing planning and executing. Not to talk about the sewing together.... shish that takes me almost longer than to knit the darn thing.

My friend Brandi calls me bright and early because that is what she does, and wants to know if I want more of that wonderful pink wool yarn? I love that yarn but I tell her that I have so much yarn right now if I locked myself up and put myself under house arrest and did nothing but knit I don't think 2 years would do it maybe in 3 years I would have knit up all that I have. That is like a full time job with no other hobbies interests maybe not even eating or sleeping just knitting, knitting, knitting....... yeah I think maybe in 3 years time I could finish knitting up all that I have.


So I thanked her very much but refused, but she says you knit such wonderful things out of this yarn at least think about it. So I slept on it and thought about it and decided what the heck I have so much what's another huge ball between friends.

The week before Brandi already gave me a huge amount of pink yarn. I already had enough to knit a car cozy but she had more. I love this yarn the sweaters I've made from it feel like wearing a cloud. Soft and light weight yet warm.

A wool and silk boucle and did I say that I have lots of it? My DH is starting to ask me if I'm going to be wearing pink sweaters from now on. Maybe.

I'm pleased with how it's coming along... one of the ladies in there asked how in the world I knit so fast. Well I made the bulk of this sweater on the machine! I love my knitting machine, talk about instant gratification. It works like magic!

Well she says "That's Cheating!"

Oh I'm cheating, I didn't know that there were rules! I did not get the memo!

Well here it is cheating and all, 850 rows for the ruffle!






Machine knitting by the way is not an easy skill!

There is still plenty of "hand" work to be done, sometimes it takes me longer to put the garment together and knit all the "hand knitted" parts than the machine knitted parts.
I also did this one and there is still more left for more pink things. Maybe the car cozy idea!

How did I get into this mess?

Well I actually know the answer but I still wonder how I got into this mess. My STASH of yarn "runneth" over! Why? oh Why? is it so hard to give away get rid of throw away this stuff?

Do I have the "depression" mentality? Feast or famine? If I give it away I won't have it when I need it or yearn for it back mentality! The bottom line is that I spend far too much time sorting my stash, trying to find a "good" spot for all the yarn the perfect container, plastic bags or boxes, stacked or in drawers, hours and hours of time I could be knitting but no I'm sorting. By the way sorting is different from cleaning, but I digress.

What to knit from this stash, MY STASH "runneth" over!

I know some may say send it to me I'll knit something, but I can't part with that color or that one feels so wonderful or look at that texture, but there is not enough there to make anything yes but maybe a stripe.

I live in "maybe land", then finally one day I accomplish "the filling up a bag" with the intention of taking it to my local charity and then suddenly I need just that color I gave away. Now I have to buy it and my DH says but you have so much why do you have to buy more? I need THAT color!

This is the universal "Murphy's Law" the minute I finally give something away I need it the very next week. It could have sat there waiting to be utilized for years but no not needed. Then one day I finally decide to give it away to my favorite charity (The Boys and Girls Club of Venice) or for yarn give away my favorite charity is (Stitches from the Heart), I just know that in a week or two I will need just that item. As they say Oh Well... this should be my biggest problem in life. I know this is a minor problem but never the less very annoying.

The bottom line is I have more "stuff" than I know what to do with, so week (or when I remember to do it) I run around the house and choose 27 items to put in the give away bag I do "The 27-Fling Boogie". The items could be anything and if I come home with a bag I fill up that bag with something old and give it away.

Once in a while I visit the "Fly Lady's" site which is where I learned about the "The 27-Fling Boogie"

Declutter 15 Minutes a Day - 5 Great Tools That Make it Easy!

Your home is filled with clutter of all shapes and sizes. This is why you are unable to keep it clean. You have too much STUFF. All we ask is that you set a timer and spend 15 minutes a day decluttering. That's it. Anyone can do anything for only 15 minutes, even if you have to break it down into 5 minutes segments. These are the five tools we give you to help you declutter and also make it fun for you! When you get the e-mail reminders/checklists from FlyLady, try them yourself. What do you have to lose (besides clutter LOL!)?

1. The 27-Fling Boogie

We do this assignment as fast as we can. Take a garbage bag and walk through your home and throw away 27 items. Do not stop until you have collected all 27 items. Then close the garbage bag and pitch it. DO NOT LOOK IN IT!!! Just do it.

Next, take an empty box and go through your home collecting 27 items to give away. Suze Orman taught me this in her book, The Courage to be Rich. This will change the energy in your home and bring about good feelings. Every time I do this I feel better and my home is becoming decluttered in the process. As soon as you finish filling the box, take it to the car. You are less tempted to rescue the items.

Rule of thumb: if you have two of any item and you only need one, get rid of the least desirable.

I also sing a wonderful song as I am doing this fun job: "Please Release Me, Let Me Go" as sung from the stuff's point of view.

It's been so long...

From the Bitch and the Boy...

I knew it, these humans are out to get us! I am starving! Yes famished, dog-hungry feeling of "faint" hungry! I have to be vigilant that SHE does not feed us any of that "poisoned" dog food! Such a responsibility it's all on me, my brother is too stupid to care!

Can you believe it he will eat anything SHE gives us. Not me I'm too smart for this one, SHE does not think that I watch television but I do especially when they are talking about my relatives dogs and cats. My ears perk up and I listen very carefully. Also I hear HER discuss it on the telephone with some friend who tortures a French Bulldog. Poor boy, he comes from Hungary they breed dogs in Hungary and export them here. Who knew?

But I digress, I need more FOOD! I need more delicious food like chicken and no vegetables please! I am a carnivore not a vegetarian! SHE sometimes gets food from this restaurant down the street called The California Chicken Cafe, I must say that is my favorite restaurant. I'm trying to convince HER to only feed me chicken from that restaurant and my method is to let her think I'm on a "hunger strike"! SHE puts food out for us and I don't eat mine and I start crying with that "I'm so hungry I could die" look. For goodness sake they even deliver! (I read that on their website.)


It's worked some of the time, she actually gets in the car and goes to get me chicken! Some of my training has paid off. But I must perfect this training SHE is not very "teachable". You know what they say "You can't teach an old human new tricks" that certainly applies here.

I don't like the fresh hamburger she gets and cooks for us at all! It tastes like sawdust and is quite disgusting I WANT CHICKEN! SHE is a HORRIBLE cook! If only I was taller I could teach her a few tricks in the kitchen.

I got to go now because she has that oh let's take a bath look and well you know how I feel about that. SHE is so obsesses with cleanliness and the boy he is sleeping and besides he usually has nothing good to talk about. Actually he is quite boring I'm the only one in this house that has anything interesting to say.

Until next time,
The Bitch

ps. If you want to check the latest on the pet food recall: http://menufoods.com/recall/index.html

Report to the FDA - http://www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/complain.html
Add your pet to the PetConnection.com database - http://www.petconnection.com/recall/
Find breaking news on our Web log - http://www.petconnection.com/blog/category/2007-food-recall/