David was out of town this weekend, so I decided to drive to Morris to visit Emma. I could hardly believe that it had been 10 months since we had both been there, and a visit was long overdue.
I left from work on Friday (saving myself the drive back home and then turning around) and actually was able to get out of the office around 2, so I was at Emma and Tom's house by 5. Friday night they made a fabulous dinner - meatloaf, roasted potatoes and salad. They have a cute little dog - Jett - who is an Italian Greyhound and very active. He likes to jump around from one person to another until he suddenly decides to settle in and take a nap. They also have a cat - Boomer - who is a tiny bit aloof, but reminds me SO MUCH of a cat that David and I had years ago. They are almost identical - except Boomer is a bit chunkier than our cat was.
Saturday morning we lazed about. I'm knitting a summer top for Emma so I was busy with that. Tom made an awesome lunch (Asian chicken) and his folks came over to eat it with us. His mom brought some yummy bars - we always called them 7 layer bars. They have the graham cracker crust, chocolate chips, coconut, then you pour sweetened condensed milk over the top. We had a nice chat. I've only met them once before and we didn't spend a long time visiting that time.
After lunch we drove to Alexandria. Emma starts a new job today, and she needed a decent pair of nice work shoes. We drove to the mall, which was CRAZY. There was some sort of a 'lifestyle expo' that had everybody in town out at the mall. There were booths set up down all of the halls, and there was some sort of dance exhibition with thousands of little girls. (Well - maybe it just felt like thousands.) We did persevere and found a couple of good pairs of shoes for Emma. We were going to look for some nice tops for work and maybe a pair of pants, but after trying to look in a couple of stores, we decided to leave that for the next day. We had dinner at a nice restaurant - I had an excellent Santa Fe salad with steak, black beans, corn, and a dressing that appeared to be Ranch with some salsa poured into the middle of it. But they served it on the side, which I like, because so often I find salads tend to be overdressed. I had about half of the cup still left when my salad was gone.
Sunday morning we got up and drove to their favorite breakfast place. Then back to the house to hang out, play with the dog, do some knitting, go for a walk. It was a beautiful day! We took the dog for a walk, and later in the afternoon we drove (separately) to St Cloud, which is about an hour and half from Morris. We had better luck at the mall there, and after shopping for a bit, we went to Olive Garden for dinner before we went our separate ways - Emma and Tom back to Morris, and me to Chanhassen. I decided to stay close to work last night rather than drive all the way home, and then drive back this morning. Plus David has lots of 'points' to stay in hotels since he's been travelling, so I was able to cash in some of them.
It was a lovely weekend, and I had a great time. Emma and Tom are picking up dog number 2 this week - a bloodhoud puppy. I think it's good that I got the visit in BEFORE the new puppy comes! :) At least while he's getting trained!
So it's Monday, I'm back at work, Emma's started her new job (where she has an OFFICE that she only has to share with one person - something I haven't had in 15 years) and David will be home on Friday.
Now I just need to make it through the weather this week. Looks like it could get crazy.
Needles
Monday, March 31, 2014
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Friday, March 14, 2014
Yarn Tasting
My local yarn store (LYS) and a number of others in the area do something called a Yarn Tasting. My store does it a couple of times a year when the seasons are getting ready to change and new yarns are coming out.
I've been to almost all of them at 'my' store, and a couple of others at other stores. It's an event that's held after hours, there are sometimes prizes, sometimes wine, usually some sort of treat (cake or something) and usually 5 or 6 new yarns to 'test out'. At my LYS, the workers have already started knitting a swatch, and then the yarn and the needles are passed around to eveyrone as they talk about yarn, what it's made of, some ideas for patterns, etc.
Because I am a member of my LYS, I get to attend these for free. (Because I pay a yearly membership fee) Otherwise there is a fairly nominal charge. There are generally only 7 or 8 people there, and at the end of the evening we all get a free skein of yarn, and then a discount if we want to purchase additional yarn. (Which almost everyone always does - because no stash is big enough.)
The Spring Yarn Tasting was last Friday evening. We had wine, and cake, and candy. (I actually brought my cake and candy home because I don't like to try to knit and eat at the same time - comes from my days of doing hardanger. Must Have Clean Hands!)
One of the yarns that was spotlighted was a yarn that is being used for something called a Knit A Long (KAL) These are sponsored by a yarn company, and each week for a month (4 weeks) you get an additional part of the pattern to knit with instructios, video, etc. You have a general idea of what the project is, and they tell you how much yarn to buy, but other than that the end product is a surprise. I did one a few months ago where we did a cowl. It's fun. People post pictures of their product at the end, and you can see all the different ways that something can be done.
We were talking about this KAL that is happening in April for a shawl that uses 2 skeins of this particular yarn that we sampled. It was a lovely yarn, however the KAL requires 2 skeins, and the yarn is $26. per skein. (And that's not the one we got for free - obviously). So since I'm cheap (I mean thrifty) I was looking at some of the other yarns to see if another would work for less money.
Well, Cynthia, the owner, introduced a new part to our Yarn Tasting last weekend. We had a little quiz. The first person who could write down the names of the 3 yarns we sampled that had silk in them and the 3 yarns that did not (without looking at the sheets that were passed out) WON 2 skeins of this yarn. And I won. Yippee! I think mostly because I don't care much for wool, so am always looking for yarns that have other fibers in them, especially silk.
Anyway - I'm very excited - $52 PLUS a free skein of yarn ($10) PLUS cake and chocolates PLUS a glass of wine. Plus of course, hanging with people who are even nuttier than I am when it comes to knitting.
I've been to almost all of them at 'my' store, and a couple of others at other stores. It's an event that's held after hours, there are sometimes prizes, sometimes wine, usually some sort of treat (cake or something) and usually 5 or 6 new yarns to 'test out'. At my LYS, the workers have already started knitting a swatch, and then the yarn and the needles are passed around to eveyrone as they talk about yarn, what it's made of, some ideas for patterns, etc.
Because I am a member of my LYS, I get to attend these for free. (Because I pay a yearly membership fee) Otherwise there is a fairly nominal charge. There are generally only 7 or 8 people there, and at the end of the evening we all get a free skein of yarn, and then a discount if we want to purchase additional yarn. (Which almost everyone always does - because no stash is big enough.)
The Spring Yarn Tasting was last Friday evening. We had wine, and cake, and candy. (I actually brought my cake and candy home because I don't like to try to knit and eat at the same time - comes from my days of doing hardanger. Must Have Clean Hands!)
One of the yarns that was spotlighted was a yarn that is being used for something called a Knit A Long (KAL) These are sponsored by a yarn company, and each week for a month (4 weeks) you get an additional part of the pattern to knit with instructios, video, etc. You have a general idea of what the project is, and they tell you how much yarn to buy, but other than that the end product is a surprise. I did one a few months ago where we did a cowl. It's fun. People post pictures of their product at the end, and you can see all the different ways that something can be done.
We were talking about this KAL that is happening in April for a shawl that uses 2 skeins of this particular yarn that we sampled. It was a lovely yarn, however the KAL requires 2 skeins, and the yarn is $26. per skein. (And that's not the one we got for free - obviously). So since I'm cheap (I mean thrifty) I was looking at some of the other yarns to see if another would work for less money.
Well, Cynthia, the owner, introduced a new part to our Yarn Tasting last weekend. We had a little quiz. The first person who could write down the names of the 3 yarns we sampled that had silk in them and the 3 yarns that did not (without looking at the sheets that were passed out) WON 2 skeins of this yarn. And I won. Yippee! I think mostly because I don't care much for wool, so am always looking for yarns that have other fibers in them, especially silk.
Anyway - I'm very excited - $52 PLUS a free skein of yarn ($10) PLUS cake and chocolates PLUS a glass of wine. Plus of course, hanging with people who are even nuttier than I am when it comes to knitting.
Monday, March 10, 2014
Friday, March 7, 2014
Lasers and Toes
In keeping with my pledge to talk about anything and everything for my sister's amusement - I'm going to tell you a story today that may gross out some people. I know that my sister can't be grossed out by anything I say, so be warned. This post is going to be about toenail fungus, so some of you may want to stop right now and click on another page. :)
I don't remember having problems as a kid, or a young adult, but for many years now, I have had issues with my big toes having a fungus that grows under the nail and causes quite a few issues with my toes - not the least of which is the fact that it's difficult to wear sandals in the summer because they look gross. (My toes - - not the shoes) They also tend to hurt as the fungus grows under the nail. pushing the nail up and then the sides grow down into my toe, etc. You get my drift - not fun -or pretty. I think it's a pretty common thing - I've read something like 20% of the population has issues with this. And based on all of the products for treatment, I'd guess that's true!
I've tried pretty much every topical treatment there is. I have not tried the medication that I've heard you can take orally, because I've also heard that causes other issues. Many of the topical treatments that I've tried have not been cheap either. I had some hope last year for one but it didn't pan out. It involved putting a gel on my toes every day and covering them with a bandaid - for THREE MONTHS. My toes seemed to improve a bit, but quickly went back to the way that they become.
A couple of years ago my aunt told me that they have laser treatments now that will kill the fungus. So I checked into it. It's not cheap, and my biggest issue then was that there was not a place close to either home or work that performed the procedure. And as anyone who reads this blog knows, with 2 hours a day on the road, I'm not inclined to extend my drive. So I sort of put that on the back burner and tried some other gels and creams.
Anyway, as I was hacking away at my toenails the other night, (winter is particularly bad) I thought - this has to end. Besides the fact that summer may actually one day arrive and I might want to wear sandals, I started thinking - what am I going to do when I get old(er) and someone else has to take care of my awful toes? So I went online yesterday (isn't the internet the greatest invention ever?!) and started looking into this laser treatment again. Lo and behold, I found a place that I literally DRIVE PAST twice a day on my way to and from work. So I clicked on 'schedule an appointment' thinking I could have it done the next time David is out of town.
I got an appointment yesterday, stopped on my way home from work, and had it done. It was relatively painless. I took my shoes and socks off, we put on special glasses, and the person doing the procedure handed me a hose with cold air blowing out of it. As she clicked the laser gun on my toes, I held the hose next to the laser to cool them. The only slightly uncomfortable feeling is that your toes get quite hot, hence the hose with the cold air. 20 minutes later, I was on my way home with instructions to wash my bedding, vacuum the carpets, disinfect the shower, etc. I sprayed all of the shoes that are currnetly in my closet and the mudroom. (I'm saving my sandals for another day). It took a while - I have lots of shoes - especially when you count EVERY pair - boots, slippers, etc.
It cost me $450 (It was $500 but I got $50 off because I 'liked' them on FB) and they'll do it in 4 and 6 months for free again if the fugus is still there. So I thought that wasn't horrible. I used Health Care Spending money to pay for it, and believe me when I tell you that I have paid LOTS over the years for all of the topical treatments that I've bought.
So I'm hopeful. Of course, since toenails grow exceedingly slowly, I won't know anything for a while, but maybe this will be the summer that I can wear sandals without having to cover up my horrible toes. Keep your fingers crossed!
I don't remember having problems as a kid, or a young adult, but for many years now, I have had issues with my big toes having a fungus that grows under the nail and causes quite a few issues with my toes - not the least of which is the fact that it's difficult to wear sandals in the summer because they look gross. (My toes - - not the shoes) They also tend to hurt as the fungus grows under the nail. pushing the nail up and then the sides grow down into my toe, etc. You get my drift - not fun -or pretty. I think it's a pretty common thing - I've read something like 20% of the population has issues with this. And based on all of the products for treatment, I'd guess that's true!
I've tried pretty much every topical treatment there is. I have not tried the medication that I've heard you can take orally, because I've also heard that causes other issues. Many of the topical treatments that I've tried have not been cheap either. I had some hope last year for one but it didn't pan out. It involved putting a gel on my toes every day and covering them with a bandaid - for THREE MONTHS. My toes seemed to improve a bit, but quickly went back to the way that they become.
A couple of years ago my aunt told me that they have laser treatments now that will kill the fungus. So I checked into it. It's not cheap, and my biggest issue then was that there was not a place close to either home or work that performed the procedure. And as anyone who reads this blog knows, with 2 hours a day on the road, I'm not inclined to extend my drive. So I sort of put that on the back burner and tried some other gels and creams.
Anyway, as I was hacking away at my toenails the other night, (winter is particularly bad) I thought - this has to end. Besides the fact that summer may actually one day arrive and I might want to wear sandals, I started thinking - what am I going to do when I get old(er) and someone else has to take care of my awful toes? So I went online yesterday (isn't the internet the greatest invention ever?!) and started looking into this laser treatment again. Lo and behold, I found a place that I literally DRIVE PAST twice a day on my way to and from work. So I clicked on 'schedule an appointment' thinking I could have it done the next time David is out of town.
I got an appointment yesterday, stopped on my way home from work, and had it done. It was relatively painless. I took my shoes and socks off, we put on special glasses, and the person doing the procedure handed me a hose with cold air blowing out of it. As she clicked the laser gun on my toes, I held the hose next to the laser to cool them. The only slightly uncomfortable feeling is that your toes get quite hot, hence the hose with the cold air. 20 minutes later, I was on my way home with instructions to wash my bedding, vacuum the carpets, disinfect the shower, etc. I sprayed all of the shoes that are currnetly in my closet and the mudroom. (I'm saving my sandals for another day). It took a while - I have lots of shoes - especially when you count EVERY pair - boots, slippers, etc.
It cost me $450 (It was $500 but I got $50 off because I 'liked' them on FB) and they'll do it in 4 and 6 months for free again if the fugus is still there. So I thought that wasn't horrible. I used Health Care Spending money to pay for it, and believe me when I tell you that I have paid LOTS over the years for all of the topical treatments that I've bought.
So I'm hopeful. Of course, since toenails grow exceedingly slowly, I won't know anything for a while, but maybe this will be the summer that I can wear sandals without having to cover up my horrible toes. Keep your fingers crossed!
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
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