oops I did it again...

Don't cha just hate that song????!!!!

But, it is an appropriate title for this entry...I stopped at my LYS yesterday...saw a finished head band and of course, promptly bought the pattern, yarn and circs....

Never mind I still have 10 projects on my needles that need to be finished...never mind that I should be grading papers, doing laundry or cleaning house...oh no...I have a new challenge in my knitting basket...taunting me...just calling my name...I am weak....pics to come...no, not of the dirty laundry, dishes piled or dust bunnies...

The top 100 songs of 1981

I found this on Anita's blog. Imagine my surprise when I clicked on the link and it brought me right back to Minnesota!!!

I know I just posted a list of 100 books...well, here is another listing of the top 100 songs from 1981.

The rules:

A.) Go to Music Outfitters

B.) Enter the year you graduated from high school in the search function and get the list of 100 most popular songs of that year

C.) Bold the songs you like, strike through the ones you hate and underline or italicize your favorite. Do nothing to the ones you don’t remember (or don’t care about)

1. Bette Davis Eyes, Kim Carnes
2. Endless Love, Diana Ross and Lionel Richie
3. Lady, Kenny Rogers
4. (Just Like) Starting Over, John Lennon
5. Jessie's Girl, Rick Springfield
6. Celebration, Kool and The Gang
7. Kiss On My List, Daryl Hall and John Oates
8. I Love A Rainy Night, Eddie Rabbitt
9. 9 To 5, Dolly Parton
10. Keep On Loving You, REO Speedwagon
11. Theme From "Greatest American Hero", Joey Scarbury
12. Morning Train (Nine To Five), Sheena Easton
13. Being With You, Smokey Robinson
14. Queen Of Hearts, Juice Newton
15. Rapture, Blondie
16. A Woman Needs Love, Ray Parker Jr. and Raydio
17. The Tide Is High, Blondie
18. Just The Two Of Us, Grover Washington Jr.
19. Slow Hand, Pointer Sisters
20. I Love You, Climax Blues Band
21. Woman, John Lennon
22. Sukiyaki, A Taste Of Honey
23. The Winner Takes It All, Abba
24. Medley, Stars On 45
25. Angel Of The Morning, Juice Newton
26. Love On The Rocks, Neil Diamond
27. Every Woman In The World, Air Supply
28. The One That You Love, Air Supply
29. Guilty, Barbra Streisand and Barry Gibb
30. The Best Of Times, Styx
31. Elvira, Oak Ridge Boys
32. Take It On The Run, REO Speedwagon
33. No Gettin' Over Me, Ronnie Milsap
34. Living Outside Myself, Gino Vannelli
35. Woman In Love, Barbra Streisand
36. Boy From New York City, Manhattan Transfer
37. Urgent, Foreigner
38. Passion, Rod Stewart
39. Lady (You Bring Me Up), Commodores
40. Crying, Don Mclean
41. Hearts, Marty Balin
42. It's My Turn, Diana Ross
43. You Make My Dreams, Daryl Hall and John Oates
44. I Don't Need You, Kenny Rogers
45. How 'Bout Us, Champaign
46. Hit Me With Your Best Shot, Pat Benatar
47. The Breakup Song, Greg Kihn Band
48. Time, Alan Parsons Project
49. Hungry Heart, Bruce Springsteen
50. Sweetheart, Franke and The Knockouts
51. Someone's Knockin', Terri Gibbs
52. More Than I Can Say, Leo Sayer
53. Together, Tierra
54. Too Much Time On My Hands, Styx
55. What Are We Doin' In Love, Dottie West
56. Who's Crying Now, Journey
57. De Do Do Do, De Da Da, Police
58. This Little Girl, Gary U.S. Bonds
59. Stop Draggin' My Heart Around, Stevie Nicks With Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
60. Giving It Up For Your Love, Delbert McClinton
61. A Little In Love, Cliff Richard
62. America, Neil Diamond
63. Ain't Even Done With The Night, John Cougar
64. Arthur's Theme, Christopher Cross
65. Another One Bites The Dust, Queen
66. Games People Play, Alan Parsons Project
67. I Can't Stand It, Eric Clapton
68. While You See A Chance, Steve Winwood
69. Master Blaster, Stevie Wonder
70. Hello Again, Neil Diamond
71. Don't Stand So Close To Me, Police
72. Hey Nineteen, Steely Dan
73. I Ain't Gonna Stand For It, Stevie Wonder
74. All Those Years Ago, George Harrison
75. Step By Step, Eddie Rabbitt
76. The Stroke, Billy Squier
77. Feels So Right, Alabama
78. Sweet Baby, Stanley Clarke and George Duke
79. Same Old Lang Syne, Dan Fogelberg
80. Cool Love, Pablo Cruise
81. Hold On Tight, ELO
82. It's Now Or Never, John Schneider
83. Treat Me Right, Pat Benatar
84. Winning, Santana
85. What Kind Of Fool, Barbra Streisand and Barry Gibb
86. Watching The Wheels, John Lennon
87. Tell It Like It Is, Heart
88. Smoky Mountain Rain, Ronnie Milsap
89. I Made It Through The Rain, Barry Manilow
90. You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin', Daryl Hall and John Oates
91. Suddenly, Olivia Newton-John and Cliff Richard
92. For Your Eyes Only, Sheena Easton
93. The Beach Boys Medley, Beach Boys
94. Whip It, Devo
95. Modern Girl, Sheena Easton
96. Really Wanna Know You, Gary Wright
97. Seven Year Ache, Rosanne Cash
98. I'm Coming Out, Diana Ross
99. Miss Sun, Boz Scaggs
100. Time Is Time, Andy Gibb

Ohh...the memories......

All Hallows Eve Dishcloth Swap - Topic #1

I found this cool list on Rhea W. blog for the first assignment on All Hallows Eve Dishcloth Swap. What would your list look like?

The Big Read is an National Endowment for the Arts program designed to encourage community reading initiatives and of their top 100 books, they estimate the average adult has read only six.)

*Look at the list and bold those we have read.
*Italicize those we intend to read.
*Underline the books we LOVE. (I don't know how to underline...so I am going to color blue the books I love...

Share this list in your blog, too, if you like.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas in French
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte's Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery in French
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Ronald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo in French

I only have 26 that I have read...I need to read more...What does your list look like?

"Thanks Mom for reading those 'baby' books so we didn't turn out 'messed up'."
~Nathan age 16

Hurry...

Registration is open until Friday the 12th for All Hallows Eve Dishcloth Exchange....the sequel to Summer Dishcloth Swap.

It is always such great fun getting to know your partner and having someone stalk your blog, as well...and of course, the great package....

Are you still here? What are you waiting for...shoo!

All Hallows Eve Dishcloth Exchange Questionaire

Knitting Yarn
1. Do you knit or crochet? For how long? I have been "seriously knitting for about 3 years. I learned to crochet a long time ago from my Gramma...I don't do much crocheting anymore.

2. What sort of needles or hooks do you enjoy using the most? Are there some you've been dying to try out and haven't? I love bamboo needles. Most of my collection is metal, due to the fact I have picked them up cheaply...I am slowly adding bamboo to my collection. There aren't any that I am dying to try out...

3. What kind of projects do you most enjoy? Small things you can take with you, or big complex ones that are just gorgeous when they're done? I need gratification. I have not knit anything big and complex, yet. I just don't think it will ever happen...I like socks, little projects, and of course, dishcloths...

4. List one pattern for a dishcloth that you love to make, or just tell us about one you've made or received that you loved. I really love both the feather and fan pattern and the waffle stitch pattern.

5. What are your 'must have' notions? Are there any notions you need or can never have enough of? Any that might make you cry if you owned more? I don't use a lot of notions...I am always looking for a little scissors...seems like it is always..."in my other bag"

Petting Yarn
6. What are your favorite yarns to work with? Any you hate or are allergic to? I like soft and squishy...I like soft and warm...I do use wool a lot...have tried bamboo for socks...don't like acrylic or novelty yarns...

7. What colors do you like to use in projects? Any we'd never catch on your needles? I think I am generally a earthy person...greens, browns, reds, warm colors...although I have used bright and fun also. I can't think of a color that I wouldn't try at least once.

8. Any cottons you'd like to try you can't find by you, or just haven't gotten around to getting? nope...

Halloween, Fall, and General Stuff
9. Do you like to use bar soap or shower gel more? What kinds of scents do you love? What kind do you hate? I use shower gel. I like clean scents, don't like roses...like just about everything else...

10. What's more 'Halloweeny' - Ghosts, Pumpkins, or Witches? pumpkins

11. What's your favorite Treat to get? Sweet or Salty? Anything you're allergic to or just hate? Definitely sweet...and has to be dark...dark chocolate!!! (Although I have been known to consume large quantities of just about anything sweet)

12. What was your favorite Halloween Costume as a kid? As an adult?? I don't remember any favorites as a child...as an adult...I showed up to work one Halloween looking 9 months pregnant...that was pretty funny.

13. Are you on Ravelry? What's your ID? I am "alaina" on Ravelry. I haven't done anything on there in ages...my poor neglected Ravelry...Le Sigh.

14. Anything else you'd like to be sure your pal knows? no, I am pretty easy to please....

It was a short summer...

...and now it is over....

As I sit and type...I really should be heading for bed...the alarm will be going off way too early...although I got a taste of early last week...we were required to be there Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday...I was also there on Friday....I am ready...at least my room is ready...lol

I had surgery on August 22....Click here if you want the details...I faced being "put out" for the first time in my life...was a little scarey...but, it all went well and I am recovering...Was a much better alternative to a hysterectomy. If you have questions...I am open to discussion - but wasn't sure this was the place to do that...so, email me.

I spent most of the summer dealing with the medical business leading up to the decision to have the procedure done....seems like the summer really went by fast.

On a lighter note...I spent Saturday night with three very close friends of mine...two of which are experiencing "empty nest" syndrome...so, we had a "sleep over"...literally...It was a lot of fun...lots of laughter and chocolate.

What would we do without good friends to share our life with? They are the ones who lift us up when life hits hard, celebrate with us when life is good, and know when to just listen and hug. Thank God for good friends. They have truly been a blessing in my life over the years.

I did finish my scarf - pictures to come this week...I hope.

First day of school tomorrow- Chris' "last" first day.... the start of his senior year....we had his grad pics taken on Friday...another story for another day....

It's here and gone...

Dishrag Tag update.....

Here is my time line for the morning:

Patiently pacing, waiting for the mail truck.....

12:10 mail arrived...Yipeeeee!! I saw him put a box in the mailbox...I run down to the end of the driveway...(that's no easy feat when you're my age and overweight according to Wii Fit)



I ripped open gently opened the box.



Check out the goodies Emily sent...chocolate...I promptly ate most of them....and a recipe for Brown Sugar muffins and a set of measuring spoons...I can hardly wait to try the recipe out...it sounds nummy...



12:20 started knitting...I used size 7 needles (the pattern calls for size 6) I tend to knit tight...I ended up with about a 8 and 1/2 inch square cloth.



2:10 finished knitting (and weave in the ends...hate that part)...Printed off label, packed box (realized my children have used up all the packing tape...used scotch tape to seal the box...hope it holds) and drove to nearest "big" town....

3:10 dropped off at post office

I am not going to show you pictures of my finished dishcloth or the goodies I sent to Janice until she gets the package...I don't want to spoil the surprise...

Go Ragtag Racers!!!

Is it just me...

...or do you have the same problem...I need to FINISH a project.

I was asked recently at the LYS what was on my needles...here is what I discovered:

1. slippers (need to finish second one)

2. beanie for Katie (pattern is a bugger...really need to concentrate)

3. socks on two circs for me (love the yarn, not going fast enough on two circs to hold my attention...maybe should just convert to dpns?)

4. Fair isle hat (need to finish the crown)

5. Pay it Forward gift

6. Felted bag (can't find the pattern...)

7. Felted blowfish for Katie (again, not sure where the pattern is or where I am on the pattern...)

8. "Plain Vanilla Pullover" (started last summer...mucked up the decreasing for the neckline and never went back to it)

9. stripped tubular scarf (I am actually working on that one...)

10. New pair of Socks (I just cast on a new pair of socks this week after my visit to LYS in city of my Math Academy....while sitting in the hotel)

11. New Sweater (I am swatching to check gauge on my new cardigan pattern/yarn)

That's crazy!!!!

I need to finish something!

...and...did I mention I need a new pair of mittens for football season? or the numerous dishcloths that I have on needles, just because they are quick and mindless knits!!!

I really need to pull it all together...be a little self-disciplined....show a little self-control....or not...

I wanted to show pictures...maybe I will get a chance on Monday to go to the library and upload pics...so much quicker than dealing with my dial-up...

Let the games begin...

Dishrag Tag has begun!

Go Ragtag Racers!!!(Team #4)

The box is on its way to me from Emily in Alabama....maybe it will arrive on Monday? maybe Tuesday?

Check out the picture Emily has posted as she is packing the boxes...the woman is amazing...Big round of applause for all of her organization and hard work!!!

Dishrag tag

Yeah!!! Teams have been assigned...and all the fun starts this Friday...and did I mention I have the honor of being a team captain??!!! How cool is that???

I am currently at a three day "Math and Science Academy" sponsored by the State of MN....sitting in a hotel...with WIRELESS!!! Yeah!!!

Did I mention I bought myself a new (cheap) laptop computer...and in order to qualify for the 24 months, 0% financing...

I needed to spend an additional $130...so, I also bought a turntable that converts my old vinyl to computer (mp23) format...my vinyl can then be burnt to a CD or put on my i-pod. How cool is that? Stay tuned for details on quality.

"It's a contest!" or "What's your number?"

Emily is having a contest. Go check it out....she's giving away something cool and it's pretty painless....

Here is an excerpt from her:

Here’s the text from the front page of Divvs:

Our primary service is the Divvs Rating. We analyze your connections to other people across all the social networks you share with us, do some Complicated Math, and come up with a simple number that represents how connected you are.

It’s perfect for Craigslist or web forums where you want to keep your personal details private, but want to prove you’re a real person, with real friends. You can share your rating anywhere you can add a link to an image, and you do it without disclosing anything personal.

Think credit score, but social not monetary. Sign up for fun and to help test the system.

Divvs is kinda cool...tracks the number of social connections you have somehow...and there is math involved...(everything cool has math in it...isn't there math everywhere??)

My rating is a (pitiful) 30.

Check it out and give me a shout out as to your rating...maybe mine will go up ;)

WOW....

...Did you watch the opening ceremonies?

Spectacular...awesome...precision...breath-taking...and I could go on...

I am so impressed.

...when the people popped out of the boxes (the wind scene)....My jaw dropped to the floor...I couldn't believe it!

(I had thought it was cool and probably all automated by a computer program, boy, was I wrong)

I planned on knitting...but, I couldn't keep my eyes off the ceremonies...so, no knitting...

Where does that kind of planning come from? To have that extreme of a vision and to have the talent and the money to make it a reality...wow!

Hats off to China for an awe-inspiring show...

Whiskers on Wednesday...

It wasn't me!

I was just laying here licking myself and the yarn unrolled itself....Honest!



Enough pictures...I'm out of here!

This, that and the other thing....

Lots of stuff to talk about....

First off family news...Andy has been home for the past week...It's been awesome having him around. We did a day about town, ate at the local Chinese Buffet and played some miniature golf...I ended up in last place. Go figure.....

We went to "town" today to buy groceries to send back with him and of course to fill up his car with gas for the long trek home.

(Gas is actually going down...We paid $3.55 a gallon and used a 5 cent/gallon coupon...so actually paid $3.50/gallon...YEAH!!!)

Nathan is back from Bible Camp. He seemed to have a wonderful time and the weather was wonderful all week long. I wonder how long the two suitcases full of dirty laundry are going to be sitting in my living room? I've asked three times for them to be moved....

Have you looked at my counter? ONLY thirty days until the first day of school...and even less until the workshop days begin....sob. sob. sob.

We have a bear.



It won't stay out of our garbage. He/she took down our bird feeder, which was hanging from the eves. I was impressed that he/she didn't break it, just gently licked out all the sunflower seeds. I had three bags of misc. seeds sitting by the garage. The bags were found in the middle of the yard....ripped apart...and I can only find two of them...he/she must have taken one home for later.

We have Chris' motion camera in the front yard hoping to catch him/her in the act...so far...no luck.

Potential problem coming soon...my apple trees are "loaded". I can see broken branches in my future as this bear acquires a taste for my sweet apples. I have had a problem with that in the past. Any home remedies for keeping bears away?

I have been knitting.



The lady that does my hair is due to give birth any minute. I decided to knit her up a small pair of baby booties. On one of the previous posts, I talked about my attempt at a pair of baby booties. They ended up looking way too big...so, I compensated...or shall I say..."over-compensated"...the second attempt turned out to fit a preemie...third time was the charm....and....she was thrilled with the gift.

My good friend Linda and I went to Yarn Harbor, my LYS. And, I got sucked in again.

(Yarn + free pattern + finished object = Alaina has to buy)

Did I have any intention of knitting a scarf this summer? Heck no!! But, here I am...

I have probably finished this thing three times if you count the number of times I have ripped it completely out and started over. How hard can it be? It's a tube scarf! The pattern called for 50 stitches. I cast on 50 and decided that it looked way too small. So, in my infinite wisdom (stupidity), I decided 100 stitches would be a good number.

Well, almost went through a whole skein when I decided it would take way too much yarn...ripped that out...not before I actually calculated gauge and did some math...decided that 80 stitches would be a better number....(Don't ask me why...just believe me...80 seemed like a good idea at the time....)



Nope...still too much yarn....didn't rip it out...thought I should leave it intact in case I change my mind....

So, I cast of 50 stitches and have made it this far....



...and the kicker...I don't even know if I will wear this...I just thought it was cool.....

The Carlton County Fair is coming...I thought I would be all prepared and maybe enter a few items or some framed pictures....It doesn't look like that is going to happen...or...if it does...it will be photography and not knitting...

I thought this picture would look great framed in my dining area...



...and this one in my bathroom...



...or maybe this one....



....as long as I was enlarging and matting and framing...why not enter?

Speaking of knitting...I was talking to one of the helpful ladies at LYS and she asked what I had on my needles...I started rattling off items and I came up with about ten unfinished items...(not counting the Pay it Forward gifts)...SHAME on ME!!!

I need to get responsible and finish a few things...Can you say ADD???!!!

Ohhhh, look at that pretty yarn over there....

I just got home from seeing Mamma Mia. I loved it!! I am a huge ABBA fan....naturally, I loved the music...and I am a sucker for musicals.

I highly recommend seeing it if you haven't already.