back out of hibernation

Wow, so much has changed since I last posted to the blog. The biggest news? I finally moved back to Washington! I'm back in the Spokane area for now, though it's definitely not going to stick. I'm looking to move a bit farther west in the coming year. Last week, I was chatting with a friend in CA, each of us talking about our future plans and she called me a rolling stone. haha She's right. I don't really put down roots and settle in for the long-term. I'm always looking for what else is out there, what I'm missing. I do have a plan that will play into my gypsy urges. More on that later.

Since my move at the end of July, I've been super busy. I took a second full-time job not long after getting out here and switched to working remote only for my main job (yay, no more last minute trips across the country!) so I was working both jobs in my pjs at home. =) It was great for the bank account, but working 80-100 hrs a week doesn't leave much time for socializing (or crafting). Yeah, think zero. Last month, I finally got completely burned out and quit the second job. I'm SO much happier now. My remaining job has down time every Spring (they both would have, same job/different companies) and this week has been light on work... a welcome change from the past several months! I've been working on seriously decluttering and have been making at least weekly trips to Goodwill (donating, not shopping!) the past couple months and even sold a good amount of yarn last month! The mobile home I bought here (a huge mistake!) is a few hundred square feet larger than the one I had before moving to the Midwest and I could have made things fit with just a little decluttering... but I'm so glad I didn't. My home feels so much... lighter. I smile every time I open a cabinet that's half empty or walk into my newly-organized craft room. That room's been my focus the past few days that I've had off work. I still have a ways to go to get to where I want to be, but the large bulk of it's done and I can now take things slower... and maybe even pick up my knitting/crochet again! I actually started another blog about a month and a half ago and am posting daily what's leaving my house. It keeps me motivated to find at least one thing each day to get rid of. Some days it's a pile or a whole box full, other days just the one item. =)

I do have sad news as well. Feel free to skip this next part. It doesn't have a happy ending.

Two weeks before our drive across the country, my 14yo cat Sebastian was diagnosed with hypertension and put on meds. He'd responded well, but two weeks after the move, he started hemorrhaging into one eye. I didn't even have a vet here yet and of course, it was a Sunday. We headed to the emergency vet. The next morning, we saw an ophthalmologist and then headed to what has become my regular vet here where he ended up having surgery for what the vet guessed was a large collection of cerumen from the ear canal where there was no opening. They were amazed he'd never had a problem before now. He seemed to come through surgery well, but developed complications that evening. Unfortunately, the emergency vet nor my vet could fix what happened and I had to make the decision to let him go. I've doubted myself several times on whether I should have let them do that surgery when they did. Maybe if we'd waited? I wish I'd spent the evening near him rather than letting him sleep on the bed in the other room. Maybe I would have caught the problem sooner? Sebastian had congenital issues (that missing ear) and apparently had something else going on we didn't know about. I'm just so glad to have found this vet clinic. They are the most wonderful, caring group of people and the best clinic I've ever been to. It's so hard to lose a pet when you're not expecting it, but they made it just a little easier.

Unfortunately, the pet-related stress didn't end there. Two weeks after Sebastian passed, I had to make the same decision for my 14yo lab mix, Mugsy. He'd been gradually slowing down the past year or so but at 14, neither I, nor my vet in IN, thought too much of it. Blood work came back fine. He was just getting older. 14 is pretty good for a dog his size. A couple days before that fateful day, Mugsy started losing control of bodily functions and just had no energy at all. A trip to the vet and tests done, he had an issue with his kidneys. Meds and an IV didn't perk him up like they expected so an x-ray was done the following day. He had a growth on his heart causing fluid build-up. Apparently this type of growth is fairly common in labs. I knew I probably didn't have much time left with him at his age, but I wasn't expecting to lose him just two weeks to the day after Sebastian, though when I thought about it, it didn't really surprise me that they went so close together as they were always so close.

Really, I think Mugsy just held on long enough for us all to get out of a very stressful situation. It was almost like he knew I was in a better place and could let go. If there was anything I could have done, I wouldn't have cared what the cost was for either of them. I know in both cases, I made the right decision for them. It doesn't make it easier though. I just pray it's many, many years before I'm in that situation again. 

Sorry for being such a downer. I think that first month here clinched it for me. Aside from the fact that this mobile home has turned out to be a money pit, I have no desire to stay in Spokane. I think even this crappy house was part of a bigger plan. If I had gotten a place I ended up loving or even one I could grow to love, I'd have a much harder time moving on and I really don't believe this is where I belong. As it is, I can't wait to be rid of this place. I'm biding my time for Spring to come and in the meantime, I'm lightening my load to expand my options. I am glad I moved though. I don't think I could have dealt with all that stress and my mother too. Switching to remote work meant I was here for both of them too so they didn't suffer longer than necessary. All that working means my savings is healthy once again even with the unexpected house and vet bills...  though I have to say, I'll never again choose to work two full-time jobs!

Now that my house is less cluttered and I'm not working all the freaking time, I'm actually getting the urge to play with yarn again. And sew. And bake. And maybe even take my good camera out of the bag it's been in since I moved. Yeah, since I moved. Anyone who knows me knows how unusual that is. I've been using my little point-and-shoot for snapshots here and there, but the good one? Hibernating in it's bag. I'm just glad 2011 is over. I can't wait to see what's around the next corner. It's gotta be better... I know this blog's mostly been about crafty stuff and cooking/baking, but sometimes, life throws you a curve ball or tow and gets in the way.

Yarny Organization

When I was in Portland a few weeks ago, I (of course) spent some time browsing in IKEA. There isn't one even in my state, much less close by, so the only chance I get to go is when I'm traveling (for now, anyway). It's always so much fun wandering through and seeing what there is to see. I've been wanting this glass-front bookcase for ages now. I think it'll be perfect for yarn storage, keeping it visible yet safe from the critters and their floaty fur.

Ignore that high price - that's for the multi-piece setup covering the whole wall. It comes in a nice black/brown that I love. This, or something similar, would be perfect for my stash. =) I'll definitely be on the lookout for marked down pieces in this line once I move... whenever that is.

I decided which yarn I'll use for my Saroyan. After looking through my stash on Ravelry and looking through a few bins, I settled on the one I'd first thought of for this pattern.

I wound up the yarn late Saturday night and it's now in a bag with the pattern. BTW - the bag? It's from IKEA too. heh $6 for a set of two - the smaller perfect for a sock in progress and the larger easily holds these two 220yd skeins with room to spare for the WIP. The bottoms are flat so they stand up on their own and there are even pockets (and a zippered pocket inside the larger size) perfect for corralling necessary notions/ball bands. =) I discovered these in the bathroom section of the store - sold as toiletry bags - so they're even water resistant. Much nicer than the ziplocs I've been using to contain my projects in the larger knitting bag and I won't have to keep replacing them since needles won't be poking through. I'm thinking I might add a small piece of the yarn from each project to the zipper pull so I'll know at a glance which project is which... I purchased two sets of the bags and have all four project bags in my larger bag now. lol Could be fun sitting down to knit and just grabbing a mystery project to work on though, huh? =)

(I'm not loving what blogger is doing to my photos. These are just quick shots from my point&shoot, but they're nowhere near that blurry when I upload them. I'll have to start uploading to flickr and see if that helps.)

It was supposed to be a stress-free weekend...

Does this look stress-free?
Yeah, I didn't think so either. Poor little guy. Had some skin cysts removed a few days ago, wasn't given an e-collar by the vet (really, what is wrong with that vet?!) and he pulled out some of the stitches so had to deal with the mess and have things fixed... with a trip to the emergency vet's 45 miles away. *sigh*
I do think I figured out the inspiration for the first "pill pockets" though!
haha Worked like a charm! Reilly does love his fruits (and veggies too)!
It's been nice having the house to myself this weekend (my mother is visiting her mother and my sis in OH). I've organized the freezer finally. One of the few places in the kitchen I haven't overhauled since being here. I picked up a couple of plastic shoe boxes today to wrangle in the smaller items in the hope that my mother will actually look and see what she has before buying more stuff. I can dream, right?
I also picked up a couple of shallow storage bins to slip under my bed so I could move the large red suitcase (that's been holding a good chunk of my stash) out of my bedroom and into the basement... where I discovered my mother now has THREE bicycles. *sigh* One is older, though I'm sure, still usable as much as she would actually use it if it was cleaned up and serviced. She had a newer model in the garage that probably just needs new tires or something. Now there's a third in the garage... brand new... tags still on. I don't know the last time she actually rode a bike. I guess my attempts at helping her declutter aren't helping...
Anyhoo, I sorted my stash mainly by fiber content and decided my two balls of this:
are destined to become fingerless gloves! So pretty! And will go perfectly with my black wool coat. =) Haven't picked a design yet. I'm open to suggestions...
I also came across this:
Such a pretty, pale lavender and so very soft! I'm thinking baby something. Baby what, I don't know. A sweater perhaps? Or possibly a hat and matching booties? Decisions, decisions. Again, open to suggestions!
Some of the stash isn't making the cut. Once I saw it all together, some skeins just didn't inspire a desire to knit. I'm thinking of putting together a bag to pass on to someone... I've also got a bag full of clothes, shoes and purses mostly, ready to donate to Goodwill or somewhere. Planned to take care of that today, but the little guy had other plans. Ah, well, the longer the bag is here, the more that will end up in there! =) Just gotta get it out of the house before my mom realizes it's donation stuff and decides to sort through it...