Tatting: Only 4 people at the meeting on Saturday. It started snowing just about 3:30 so that's no surprise. I found it without getting lost; that's a surprise. I finally finished the Gemini Star during the meeting. I've decided to make the pink into a bookmark instead of edging.

Also I've completed both Cupid Stars from Oh My Stars! (so far I don't like dimpled rings. I need to try them a couple more times before I settle with that opinion though) and the Shooting Star. The rickrack Cupid Star is in variegated pink; from a very old ball. I started the Stars & Stripes, in size 80, gadzooks. I only had two colors of thread in the same size in the 80. So it's variegated blue & solid white.

books: Read A Tisket, A Tasket, A Fancy Stolen Casket, and um, still working on Chapter 2 of Teach Yourself Gaelic. I've started a vocabulary card thing. I write the Gaelic word on the front & the pronunciation (as best as I can tell), definition & helpful information about it on the back; things like 'causes lenition' and other tidbits. The former is a mystery set in small town South Carolina, with the protagonist Calamine "Callie" Lotion Parrish. She's a cosmetologist at a funeral home; giving loved ones a final beautiful memory of the dear departed.

My cousin Kathy, Aunt Evelyn's younger daughter, called me Saturday evening, so I'm a little glad that caution about the weather prevented me from driving down to see my aunts after the Tatting meeting. If I'd left, I would have missed her call. We talked for a few minutes. She's only about 10 years older than I am.

Sunday, I waited until the roads had a chance to thaw before I left. I took some stuff out of my car first, so I left a little later than I'd planned. I got there via the 5th route now (as of the last 2 trips plus this one). I'm getting better. They were glad to see me & I tatted while Aunt Dot & Uncle Albert watched football & Aunt Shirley read. Mom arrived that evening and she was surprised to see me. I had tried to call her to let her know about the roads (& let her know that I'd be there) but she had her cell phone off again.

We did a little sewing on Monday. Mom had found a better suitcase for me to use to carry my sewing machine. It's a lot sturdier than the one that I have been using. However, it doesn't have pockets, so I used some drapery fabric & sewed a couple. That will help in stowing the presser feet and extra bobbins. I completely forgot my bag of 'needs repairs' and the satin fabric for my new pillowcase. I could, theoretically, work on that tonight. Theoretically.

I had to leave last night and made it home just after dark. It was markedly colder. When I was putting my bags in the car, I just wore a turtleneck & felt fine. Getting them out, I felt like I was freezing; it was only 2F above the freezing mark, so no wonder.

clothes: jeans, turtlenecks, Celtic knot jewelry

Tatting get-together tomorrow. And snow is predicted. And I wanted to go to visit my Aunt Shirley tomorrow, since Aunt Dot is expected this weekend. *sigh*

books: Bead on Trouble & reread Slightly Shady.

Still on Chapter 2 of Teach Yourself Gaelic (Scottish). I'm working on vocabulary cards while I try to master a/do/dh'/etc.

tatting: none

clothes: turtlenecks, sweater, black slacks. It's cold. I've given up on the fleece boots that Mom bought for me. They are just tooooo big. It hurts to walk in them very far. They are warm but even with inserts, it just doesn't work. Inserts made all the difference on my half-boots. While they're still a little too long, my feet don't slide around.

site of the day: Want to do a good deed for only a few seconds of time (depending on how fast your internet connection is)? Download a text file. Read the information given about why, it will explain better than I can.


Weekend trip: Drove the 3 hours to see my Mom, Aunt & Uncle. It should have been just over two hours but I didn't have the new & improved directions. And I took the wrong highway. Luckily, I saw a road that I recognized & it was pretty much one way at that point (the other way involved a security checkpoint & I knew I didn't need to go that way) so I took it. Of course, my aunt & uncle live at the other end of that road.

We worked on some mending for me and I altered a nightgown for mom (the sleeves were too wide & too long). I finally completed the credit card bag that I've had cut out for months (you cut up a credit card to make the bag closure). I used a scrap of the floral denim that I used for that jumper years ago and a scrap of quilted fabric from a panel Christmas tree skirt, also from years ago. Even though the bag was barely wide enough for the closure, it turned out very well. Mom & Aunt Shirley were very impressed with the idea. If you need to make a larger opening, you can cut the plastic from a bottle instead. The bag I made is almost long enough to hold my glasses which means that it's plenty long enough to hold a shuttle.

I made a haversack for Chris, his Christmas present. I just need to clean up some threads & to work on a closure for it. It's a very easy bag to make but I need to make adjustment if I ever make one again. I sewed the strap into place the length of the bag. Stress will not tear that strap off. There's an "x" at the bottom of the strap plus 3 lines of seam to hold the strap in place. Thanks to the length of the fabric, there's even an interior pocket, I doubled the fabric for the bottom, with a single width for the flap. Imagine: 60" X 18" fabric rectangle. Fold it lengthwise but double, about 2/3 or 4/5. Now fold the doubled fabric in half; that's the body of the bag. The single layer is the flap. Leaving the flap open, sew up the sides of the doubled fabric to make the bag.

After supper (frozen lasagna), I was wiped out so I took a 2 hour plus nap. I woke up in time to go to bed. Mom & I talked for a little while & then went to sleep.
On the way home on Sunday, I managed to miss a turn & went out of my way again. Luckily, as soon as I crossed into the wrong county I recognized that, stopped, pulled out a map & figured out how to get back on track. With all the detours, I had to put more gas in the car. The lowest that I saw was $3.089 a gallon. That's just ridiculous.

Chris ran a zero round on Saturday. He told me a little about it after I got home. He had received one of his belated birthday presents this weekend, too (it had been on back order).

I took a nap & then we watched one of his other birthday presents; Transformers DVD. That really is a good movie. It looks like they had planned to make the army guy the lead but then changed to the young guy. It's something you may not notice the first time that you see it. Friday night we watched another of his birthday presents; Ghost Rider DVD.

books: I finished Light in Shadow (not Light & Shadow) but I've started writing letters & have not had time for more reading (shocking, I know).

sight of the day: young man with the right half of his hair in an afro & the other half in small braids or twists, a la Coolio, but shorter. Either hairstyle is fine, together? Um, not so fine.

clothes: I started Saturday wearing a turtleneck but it was too warm in Aunt Shirley's basement, so I changed to a t-shirt. T-shirt & then turtleneck on Sunday, blue jeans both days. I wore tennis shoes when I went out but slippers the rest of the time. Butterfly earrings, flower fairy pendant, flower ring, ~rope ring, & a ponytail. Too bad the ponytail caused horrendous rats nests in my hair, right where the ponytail hit my shirt collar.

I really wished my mom would stop smoking. My hair reeks.

Today I'm wearing black shoes, jeans & belt, same watch & hematite ring, sage green rayon shirt (Mom fixed the cuff), triskele posts, triskele in triangle pendant, Celtic knot ring, black stone ring & loose hair (after I got the tangles out, I just didn't feel like doing anything else to it).

Yes I'm blonde: I really wanted to be on the road by 6:30 pm. Alas, I had to gather some books for Mom, and I had other distractions. Thus, I did not get going until 7 or so. I stopped for gas on the other side of Raleigh and promptly locked my keys in the car. Since I had my purse, I was able to get some change & use a payphone to call Chris (left my cell phone in the car). He came & picked me up (yes, I'm Southern, deal with the idiom) and we went back home to get his copy of my car key.

By the time we returned to my car, it was 10 pm. I called Mom (at my aunt's) so they weren't expecting me any more. I got something to eat at a Taco Bell (about the only thing open by that time), yes, I'd planned to stop to get something on the road; after I got gas. I crashed at Rosemary's (she was closest) and left soon after 6 am on Saturday.

I made an assumption and ended up going cattywumpus before finally getting on the right road. I did get on the right track by 6:30 am. There was a new route to my aunt's on the map and it got a little odd as I tried to find/follow it. It said 'turn left' and there was no need. Despite that, and stopping for breakfast, I made it there by 9 am. Too bad no one was really awake yet. Guess who was suddenly regretting the large diet coke she had for breakfast?

Mom fixed me something else for breakfast and we started working on the clothes that I took to get repaired. She shortened the two pairs of scrubs that I wear for pj bottoms, the loose bits on my beautiful green wrap skirt, and we worked on my jacket (the man's jacket that I decorated wth calico rose/flower appliques). It still needs some gluing to re-attach the flowers but it's much better & she fixed the torn pocket.

Aunt Shirley & I tried to get her rolled hem setting to work on her serger machine. Mom wants some scarves and it should be possible. We also learned that Aunt's Singer rolled hem foot does fit her machine. She thought that the shank was the wrong size. It fit my sewing machine, just fine.

Mom & I went by Hancock's to pick up the fabric glue & other supplies. I also picked up some trim and other stuff that was on sale. They did not have any size 16 crochet hooks, but then I was hoping not expecting.

When we came back from shopping, I had to have a nap. I was so friggin' tired. We had also stopped for groceries & Chinese food for supper. After supper we continued to work on my clothes until we'd gotten everything done (except for letting fray check & fabric glue dry).

We ate ice cream and then played chicken foot dominos. Despite a good start, Aunt Shirley beat me. Poor mom, came in last. We had two rounds left to go when Uncle Albert stopped by to say good night. And to mention that it was almost 2 am.

Pity me- I woke up about 7 am this morning. It was only 5 hours of sleep but my body knows that I'm supposed to be awake by then. I watched most of 'History of English' and then tuned into a video channel. I worked on my necklace (I have 3/4 done). I also re-did my 2nd bauble. I had to retro-tat and then tat the ring properly. I listened to some of my iTunes library & listened to one of Carry's podcasts & shared it with Aunt Shirley (who finally woke up).

While my aunt & uncle went to church, Mom & I worked on clothing repairs and I played with her new tiny serger (she picked it up for $5, new it was $80). We had left overs for lunch and then I took another nap.

Mom & I set out later than we'd planned. I got home by 7:30. About the same time Chris was leaving to check on Rosemary's animals. Driving into the setting sun is not real fun, by the way.

I still need to finish unpacking my car but as I was about to, I got a phone call. So I'm typing and talking at the same time.

I didn't get any reading done. Big surprise. Listened to lots of music though.

clothes: t-shirts yesterday & today (Celtic cross on burnt orange & burgundy NC flint arrows chronology), jeans both days & navy loafers. I even wore the same Celtic knot jewelry.