So Buttery Soft...

As I've mentioned before, I'm knitting (and crocheting, actually; there's a crocheted edging) a wedding shawl for my dear friend Shelby from high school.

This is the pattern I'm using, and this is the yarn. Baby alpaca, in the Oyster Heather color. So scrumptiously soft!

Anyway, I've started it and made a good bit of progress, so I thought I'd post a picture and show off a bit!

Keep in mind, it's all squished together, and lace doesn't actually look like lace until it's properly blocked. But I have to say, I've been doing very well.

Out of sheer paranoia, I've been placing lifelines every ten rows. When I started, it was every four...I've gained a little more confidence in my abilities since I started (placing a lifeline is putting a bit of spare yarn or string, or dental floss in my case, through where your needle is currently so that if you make a mistake and need to rip back a few rows, you can easily pick up where you were at the last lifeline instead of having to rip it all out and start over). It's a good thing, too, because I've already used them four times. This is really my first lace project, so I'm still getting used to it. It's a lot different, because the needles I'm using are way too big for the yarn (that's how you get the "lacy" effect) and it feels strange compared to the other knitting I've done in the past.

Now We Can Use The Roomba!

Since I'm lazy and tired, I let Scott blog about our new floor:

For a over a year Anna and I have been looking at redoing the flooring on our main floor with hardwood. We picked out the flooring we wanted that went well with the new cabinets in the kitchen. It is laminate that is finished in a Brazilian Cherry.

I went to Home Depot and was browsing for a thing for my keys when I saw that the flooring we wanted was on clearance. I called Anna and told her, and she told me to get it. When I was paying for it, I told the flooring lady that I was going to pay with my Home Depot card and she said "Thanks for telling me that 'Lowes has that for cheaper' "(wink wink) and gave me an additional  5% off. Home Depot has a customer for life.

They loaded a full pallet plus 4 boxes into my truck and away I went. When I got home I looked at how much my truck was sagging from the weight and apologized to my back ahead of time. I started to unload the flooring into the house so it could acclimatize to the house. Then I started to rip out the old carpet, padding and tile. I started to rip up the tile in front of the door ... and, big surprise, I was able to pull out all the tile by hand ... no tools needed. I then started to rip out the carpet. Once I got to the sub floor I started to clean it up and prep for the new flooring when I saw that they had used finish nails (smooth shafted, very small head) to attach the subfloor to the floor joists.... that is why it squeaked all the time. I changed them all to screws. Almost all the squeaks went away.

I had Jorg come over and help with the install of the flooring. We put down a few rows and then stopped for the night.

Then next day we really went to work, getting about 2/3 of it finished.

The last day we finished and cleaned up. Here are some before and after pictures.

Buster is still getting used to walking on the floor ... he has face planted a few times.

Note from me: See the spots in the very last picture? I glued felt to the bottom of the furniture to prevent scratches. Superglue dries right away, right? Wrong. I still haven't figured out how to get those spots off. I have a new floor for a few hours and I've already ruined it.

We still need to do both sets of stairs and the upstairs landing, but that can wait.

But My Flowers Smelled Great!

Valentine's day. Good and bad. We'll start with the good...

Scott had these delivered to me at work on Thursday (a bit early, yes). My coworker brought them in and said, "What did he do?" Kinda funny. Anyway, it's all pink (favorite) with pearls (favorite). He's such a sweetheart.

Last year, or maybe the year before (I can't remember) I sent him a cookie bouquet, and although he loved it, it was rather expensive, and Scott doesn't like when I spend money on him like that. So this year I had a better idea.

I had a heart-shaped bacon pizza delivered to him the next day. Only $8, so he can't complain about that! He forgot to take a picture, sadly, but he liked it very much.

Okay...now the bad.

I got home from work, took a shower and put on a slightly nicer shirt and a necklace (fancy!), and we went out. It was only 5:30, so I thought that would be early enough to avoid most of the dinner crowd and we could have a nice dinner, just the two of us.

We drove over to Red Lobster, because crab legs are delicious and festive, and there wasn't even a parking spot open. So, still in the mood for crab, we drove over to McGrath's, where the lobby was so crowded I didn't even bother to ask how long the wait would be. So Scott and I thought that maybe we could go up the hill to the Chinese restaurant just south of the air force base, and it wasn't very crowded, so we thought we had found a good place. NOT.

We stood there in the lobby without anyone saying anything to us for a good fifteen minutes. A grunt of acknowledgement would have been nice. Anyway, we were finally seated...and then nobody came over (or, once again, even acknowledged our presence) for another twenty minutes. This seemed ridiculous, but there were a lot of people picking up carry-out orders, so we figured they were busier than they had planned for.

A woman finally came over to take our order, and we got our drinks almost right away, and my soup, but then we waited another fifteen minutes for our wontons to come out. They were delicious, so all was forgiven. Okay, not really, but they were awesomely delicious. Another fifteen minutes, and Scott's food came out...but mine didn't. For another fifteen minutes. I was hungry, so I picked at Scott's a bit, but by the time I got my food Scott was just about full, so I ate while he just kinda sat there and picked at his noodles.

We finished, and my food was delicious, but then, surprise, surprise, we waited for our check. Another fifteen minutes. Scott eventually got up and had to go to the kitchen to find someone to get us our check and some boxes. We boxed up our leftovers, went up front to pay, and left without leaving a tip.

Now, I used to be a waitress, so I know how difficult things can get, especially when you're busier than you anticipate and things are a little hectic. But when you don't even give a quick "I'll be with you soon" and just ignore your customers, you don't deserve to be tipped for the service you aren't giving. This is only the second time EVER I have not left a tip. The service was that bad.

But overall, we probably got out of there more quickly than we would have at Red Lobster...

Some Days...

Some days...

...I dismiss my alarm instead of snoozing it, and wake up 40 minutes late, which leads to a rushed shower (no relaxing under the hot water) (no shaved underarms) (I know you wanted to know) and that apparently makes me cranky.

...I have to try so hard to not verbally rip everyone's head off, both at work and at home. Nobody deserves this, and there isn't even usually a reason (except wonky neurotransmitters, but you already knew about those).

...I am tempted to quit my job. It used to be so laid back, and now it just isn't. I'm busier, which is usually a good thing, but on days like today (where I'm emotionally trainwrecked and all I want to do is go home, fling myself on my bed, and sob uncontrollably for a few hours) it just seems to be too much. Which is sad, because I am Invincible Superchemist, and I'm supposed to be able to solve all chemistry problems without batting an eyelash. But some days, I tell you...

...I want everything, but nothing at the same time. Food, specifically. Nothing in particular today, but lately I've been wanting a certain food, and thinking about getting it, and then when I think about the effort involved in getting said food I stop wanting said food.

...I love Scott more than usual. This happens all the time; I love him more and more every day. But some days I notice it more. Usually, it's the days like today when I have to convince myself that I have wonderful things in my life and the world isn't going to end tomorrow. I look over at my Scott, and he smiles at me and says something silly, and I feel a bit better and count myself lucky to have him in my life.

...Buster needs a bath but refuses to be bathed. NAUGHTY.

...I have to rip out three rows of complicated lace knitting because I got distracted and skipped some stitches somewhere and I can't find them, but somehow the math just isn't adding up. RIIIIIIP! (Thank heaven for lifelines; I've been placing one every four rows out of sheer paranoia...)

BUT.

Some days...

...I am KNITTING LACE DO YOU EVEN KNOW HOW BADASS THAT IS.

...I can't think of another positive thing to put here. I'll feel better tomorrow, I'm sure. 

(I just LOVE mood swings...)