Job searcher and errand-runner by day, Knitter at night!

Okay, I'm warning you, you are SO going to hate me...I am officially done all of my Christmas shopping. I got John's stocking stuff today and that was the last of the things I needed. Oh, and I mailed the Christmas cards...my tongue and right thumb are still recovering from the envelope licking and the stamp pressing (the sticker ones don't stay as well as the good old fashioned lick yourself ones, in my opinion....you have to make sure the stickers are REALLY on there). I haven't started Christmas baking yet though...John isn't big on sweets, so I have to make sure I bake in moderation, which is really hard for me!

So the job search is coming along. I applied to another one today, and I really hope I get a call for it. It's right in Albion too! It would be fabulous to not have another monster commute the way I did in Canada (45 minutes with no traffic is not my idea of fun). Keep your fingers crossed for me.

So since I've been so good today, I am going to reward myself with another great night of knitting and TV....One Tree Hill and Lost are both on tonight, so that will keep me entertained. Last night, I was hardly even watching my knitting because I was trying to keep a careful eye on the cat and the tree. I haven't found any mistakes yet so that is good! I'm going to try to finish up one of my WIPs for my brother in law for Christmas...well, actually I don't know how that works, he is my husband's sister's husband, so we both married into the family. Well, anyway, I'm knitting a black scarf that I started back in November when I decided I could whip up a little knitted something for all of my sister in law's family...scrapped that idea, but I can still get that project done.

Christmas is in the air..at least, it was until it rained today!

This past weekend, John and I got ready for Christmas. We dug out our tree, decorated it with what we had, bought what we didn't....put the rest of the Christmas things around the house and the wreath on the door. It is so nice to finally have our first Christmas together in our own house, just the two of us. Everything looks so festive! And I even got my Christmas cards done, I just have to pop them in the mail. My mom doesn't like talking to me when I brag to her about how much I got done...but keep in mind, I am home full time right now so I have all of the time in the world to get ready for Christmas...and finish all of WIPs, but we're not going to talk about that.

Oh, and the cat can't stay out of the Christmas tree. It is Day 3 of dealing with him and he is driving me bonkers! Every time I turn around, he is sitting under it, chewing on it and whatever else he can find, waiting to pounce on my toes when I walk by OR climbing as high as he can on it and batting my ornaments around. I thought cats were supposed to lower your blood pressure! I'm TRYING to come to terms with the fact that cats and trees are meant to be and I cannot change that.

In a few quiet moments today while Marmelade was sleeping, I did manage to get some knitting done on my poncho. Thank goodness! I'm going to my first knitting group this Thursday (Thanks again Lisa...I am SO excited!) so I'm trying to get some more done on it.

The Day We Became Husband and Wife

This is my most favourite picture of John and I on our wedding day, October 16, 2004. We both look so excited and happy. It was raining a bit outside, hence the umbrella. I must get a copy of this picture framed.

Sometimes I like to take my veil and tiara out of my keepsake trunk and parade around the house in them...I like to think that I am a princess. Yes, it's a little sad....but it's SO fun, you must try it! :)

My Knittin and Scrappin WIPs

So as I'm reading other people's blogs, I have realized that I am definitely not a true knitter...I only have 3 WIPs: a poncho, which was supposed to be a great summer poncho which has turned into the poncho that will never be finished; a scarf, which I started when I was totally inspired and decided I would whip off scarves and mittens for all of John's sister's family, and I don't know how to knit mittens; and a purse that I knit up like at least 3 years ago, but still sits in pieces because you are supposed to crochet it together and I don't know how to crochet and I'm sure I could attach it any old way that I want to but I haven't because I'm hoping I will still learn how to crochet. In my own small number of WIPs defence, I have promised myself that I would not buy any more yarn (ie start any more projects) until I finish the poncho, but now that I know this is normal....I AM GOING TO START A NEW PROJECT! But what? I have seen so many cute patterns in my Stitch n Bitch books and online in people's blogs and other websites...I think I have KO...Knitting Overload! So many pretty things, not enough time!

So in terms of WIPs I have for scrapbooking, this is much much worse. I seem to be incapable of finishing anything. I have 5 WIPs in total: our honeymoon album, which I started last fall shortly after the honeymoon because I couldn't take the pressure of starting my wedding album...the honeymoon album is ALMOST done, I'm talking like 4 layouts away from being done; our wedding album, which I have made odd pages for as I went to classes and did wedding layouts, nothing concrete put together; the Krista and John album, I haven't finished that because I haven't decided if I want the wedding prep to go in there, or in our wedding album...suggestions are appreciated!; our anniversary album, but in my own defence, that will never be finished because we only just had our first anniversary this October so I will have many more years of memories to put in there; and finally my school years album, I made it as far as high school prom but haven't started the four years at university. Please note that I have done very little if any journally in any of these albums...I am petrified of writing a story incorrectly, or of not telling the whole story and confusing people who read my journalling when I'm not there. Yes, I will do it someday...someday...

I would include pictures, but I would rather focus on the positive, so I will take pictures of those WIPs that become FPs....finished projects!

Happy Thanksgiving! Weekend

To all you Americans and pseudo-Americans out there, Happy Thanksgiving! It has been a great week. Wednesday I tried making another pumpkin pie and it turned out great, as you can see from the picture. Thursday was Turkey Day and after watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, we all headed to John's parents' place for dinner...it was of course delicious and a lot of fun. Because John and I are fairly adventurous at times, we decided to head out to the Thanksgiving sales. We did very well and got virtually all of our Christmas shopping done! What an accomplishment! So today we are recovering and just relaxing around the house... okay, Marmelade has decided that it's time to play the "Let's Jump at Fingers Typing on the Keyboard" game so I guess it's time to sign off!

Cherry Pie

On Friday, I made my first pie by myself. I've made pies with my mom before growing up, but this is my first pie...homemade crust and all. The top came out a little funny, but I thought I would show it to you. The important thing was that the crust was not really tough and the pie tasted good, even though it's a little frucked up. I made the pie to practice for Thanksgiving, cause I'm making a pumpkin pie and figured the Thanksgiving pie should not be the first pie I've ever made solo. And I purposely made the cherry pie on Friday cause my sister in law and her family were coming over and I figured everyone liked cherry pie...well, everyone except her family likes cherry pie! Oh, and the pie made a mess on the bottom of the oven and I forgot about it until today when I was making supper...so now the house smells liked burned cherries. But the important thing is the pie was good. :)

Another day

I got my Social Security Number today! Wohoo! Now I'm like a real person here, or so it seems. Now I can exchange my driver's license for a NYS one, open a bank account, and even get a job (whole body shiver)...not that I don't want to work, this whole staying at home thing is getting a little old. But then once I find a job, I'll miss being at home...it's an awful Catch 22. I've been job searching, so keep your fingers crossed for me.

I was also super productive and finished up my painting today. All of the trim is now done! It took me six hours altogether, including clean up. I missed most of Alias and pretty much all of CSI...I'm so annoyed about that. But I feel bad for Marmelade, I locked him in the bathroom the whole time because all of the painting was being done in the main rooms that are all open and I knew he would either get into the paint or pester me way too much while I was trying to work. I went in every half hour and petted him and played with him for a bit...maybe that's why it took me so long to finish. Well, when I decided that the paint was dry enough for him to come out, I let him out and then I realized that he was missing his collar. I looked all over the bathroom...nothing. Then I poured over the house...nothing. I mean, there are lots of kitty hiding places that I'm sure I don't know about where it could be, but I couldn't see it. Then I started freaking out that the cat ate his collar...it is physically possible, I think. I listened to his belly to see if I could hear the bell on his collar, but I couldn't. John and my mom both said they didn't think he ate it and even if he could, he probably wouldn't. I don't know, I've seen the cat eat lint...who would want to eat that? So I'm still semi-freaked...and then the cat had to start being bad and trying to play with my robe and biting me in the process. So I have locked myself in the computer room and I am waiting for him to calm down...and I suppose, for me to calm down too. Man, I am so fragile about this cat...it's good practice for a kid, really. And they do say that cats are just like furry little kids...

Marmelade

This is Marmelade. And that is my sock. Oddly enough, the sock has pictures of a cat on it. Now, Marmelade is my first ever pet (well, aside from fish but that doesn't really count...this is my first pet with fur and legs) and I never thought I'd be one of those pet owners who is all ga-ga over their pet. But I am. But I'll try not to go overboard about it.

Rainbows and raindrops

Today was one of those weird weather days. In the early hours this morning, it was apparently close to 70 degrees out and then by the time I was up and around, it was closer to 30 degrees. We will apparently get some of our first snow tonight. So I was out and about today running errands and it was very cloudy out (you know, the dark ones) and raining a little bit but then every once in a while the sun would peek out of a big break in the clouds and everything would look so ominous except for that little burst of sunlight drenching everything. Well wouldn't you know, that I saw a full out rainbow two times today when that sun came out...I know rainbows aren't that uncommon, but it was still pretty darn cool. I wish I had a picture of that.

We went to visit Christine and Craig today. Craig is one of John's friends from highschool, and he and Christine just had twins (one boy, one girl; fraternal) six weeks ago. Man, those babies sure were cute. So now I want one! Eventually! But they really had their hands full...they have a son Jake who is three as well. That's a lot of work.

Otherwise it wasn't that productive a day. My dream of making some of my Christmas cards and mailing them got a little dented today when the woman at the post office told me that the card I made was an unusual shape and would incur a surcharge, and that instead I should make it a regular envelope size...well, I don't want my cards to be regular envelope size so I'm letting that idea go.

I don't know what it is, but I cannot seem to finish a project for the life of me. My poncho that I am knitting has been untouched in a week....I haven't even finished our honeymoon scrapbook or started our wedding one...but by calling my blog "knittinandscrappin" then I kind of make it sound like I do a lot of that so maybe it will be an incentive to stick with it....you know, stay the course! See it through! Who am I kidding...I have a headache and it's time for bed.

Tropical Tree-Like Plant VS Marmelade

Marmelade loves my tropical tree-like plant. It was a housewarming gift from John's aunt and uncle last year. It lived a relatively peaceful life until Marmelade moved in. I think Marmelade likes the plant because a) there is a fair amount of dirt in the pot and b) the plant actually has a trunk and is about waist-tall so it's apparently really fun to climb for little kitties. I've caught Marmelade on the plant a few times, but he just kind of climbed up on it and then I'd holler at him or spray him with water and he'd go away. The plant hid out in our bedroom for a few days when I was really worried about it, but Marmelade left it alone when it was in there. So the plant returned to its original spot and everything seemed fine..until last Sunday night. The plant had its main trunk and then another little stump trunk that didn't have any leaves or anything...and now it doesn't anymore. Marmelade ripped the little trunk out of the plant! And made a huge mess of dirt and plant trunk! GAH! I WAS SO MAD! So I locked the plant up in the spare bedroom, I thought it would be safe there. But I have to go in there once in a while so I thought I'd let the cat in while I'm in there and supervise him. Well wouldn't the little bugger go right for the plant everytime? So then I freaked and decided that either the plant or the cat had to go...so I put the plant in the basement! It's so perfect! The cat is never down there so both the plant and the cat can happily co-exist in my home...and I don't have to constantly watch Marmelade or holler at him anymore.

An Update

It's been a good couple of days.John was off on Tuesday for election day, so we had a whole day of work planned. Then his dad called to see if we wanted to come over for coffee since John's Uncle Dave and Aunt Sue were coming over. We love them, they are so cool and we usually see them a lot during racing season but I haven't seen them since I moved here. So we jumped at the chance. We had a nice visit with all of them for a couple of hours. Then they invited us over for dinner, which was so fun. We killed time before dinner going shopping and got some stuff we needed for the house. We got caught up with Davey and Kelly, John's cousins, and saw their new puppy Riley. OMG she is huge! Not quite a puppy anymore! :)Wednesday was rainy and crappy out. I planned to get some tidying up done around here and get caught up on laundry. Tim, John's brother, called to ask if I could watch the kids so I agreed and headed over there around 7. It was pretty wild out still, with the wind whipping around....at least it wasn't still raining. Watched all of my Wednesday tv while the kids were in bed...One Tree Hill, Lost, and parts of CSI: NY..I don't normally watch CSI NY but it was a continuation of Miami from Monday night and I love Horatio...there is just something about him that is so sexy. Thankfully I got back to the house in time to see the ending.Marmelade is so funny...sometimes he winks at me and I don't think he really knows that he is doing it, but it's still cute. And he was bugging John so John put him out of the office and in the hallway, but if I open the door right now he'll be sitting there! I love my kitty!Not much of a plan for today. I will apparently be getting my Social Security Number in the next 9 days, so today's agenda is to job search, continue with laundry, and do a big grocery shop. And then watch Alias and CSI tonight...WO HOO!

The Office!

I was SO super productive today. After the concert, I picked up some more stuff from my parent's place, including a desk that they gave us cause they have too many desks at home from all of us being away at school. So Dad took most of it apart and sent it in the car with me. After bopping around this morning, I decided to put it together and get things organized in the office. I ended up totally reorganizing it - switching computers on desks, moving the new to us desk in, then moving another desk and shelving unit. Some of it was a little heavy, I'm feeling it now. But now the office looks SO much better. There is plenty of space and everything looks way more organized, even though there are still a couple of boxes on the floor. Wo hoo!I made a tuna noodle casserole for dinner tonight. It was quick and easy - and darn tasty. I made some Pillsbury crescent rolls to go along with it and they were great.I'm debating between having some ice cream or some kettle corn microwave popcorn. Not sure what I want...hmmmmmmmmmm.......

Jann Arden!

Ashley and I saw Jann Arden in concert today in Kitchener. It was awesome! I have seen Jann before, when she came to Kitchener 3 1/2 years ago with her orchestra tour. She just seems so real, I think that is why I like her so much. If you haven't already, you should check out her journals - she has them online on her website and she also has two published books of her journals - they are highly entertaining! Jann just puts you in a totally relaxed state of mind. I just wish the concert had been longer! It was a good day.

Horses!

Today was so cool. Karen called me up in the morning just as I was about to mix up 2 loaves of Amish Friendship bread, and she asked if I wanted to go with her to ride her horse today. Um....YEAH! So I met her at her place at noon and we drove over to the barn where she keeps her horse Showdown. He is 19 years old, short for a horse (apparently) and super nice. He lives at a barn with another horse and 4 miniature horses and some chickens and cats - Marmelade was born in that barn! So when we got there, we cleaned out his stall and then got him saddled up. First I led him around a bit and then I clambered on and we focused on steering with my feets and the reins. Then we tried to get him to trot, which requires continually jabbing him with your heels and clicking with your mouth. Trotting is a lot faster than walking...when we trotted, I had a really hard time keeping my balance and I basically forgot everything that Karen had told me to do! It was fun...but a little scary...just scary enough that I think it is wicked and I want to go again. Then after I had had enough, Karen rode him for a bit and then we unsaddled him, put him out to pasture, and then went to see her other horse, Ranger, who lives at another barn nearby. I didn't ride him! Karen lunged him for a bit, and then she stretched him and then rode him. It was fun to see her doing that. I've seen her compete before, but this was different. Then she showed me around that barn and introduced me to all of the horses. It was a great day!Incidentally, when riding, don't forget to wear stretchy pants of any sort, preferably jeans - I didn't and I ended up splitting my slighlyt snug, old, non-stretch jeans on the but and I didn't even know until we went to the second barn...that's hot!

Knitting Paradise

Okay I am so excited right now. When I was surfing the net today, I discovered that there is a Stitch n Bitch group right here in Rochester. Apparently they meet almost every week at various locations in the city: coffee shops, bars, wherever they have enough space. I really want to get out there and meet some new people that are interested in the same things I am, and it sounds like a lot of the members are about my age and pretty hip. Unfortunately, they had a meeting tonight but I found out about it too late. Maybe next week I can check it out. I'm kind of nervous about meeting new people on my own, but I know once I get there I'll have a lot of fun!I also came across this really great blog that picks apart knitted projects - it is freaking hilarious. I was sitting here busting a gut and the cat Marmelade was looking at me like I was from the loony bin.Oh, and I was also checking out all sorts of yarn shops in Rochester. There is one that has knitting classes to teach you the basics. I know how to slip knot, cast on, knit, purl, and bind off (I think, not sure if I do it the right way but it looks good enough I guess) but I have no idea how to increase and decrease and there is a class at a store on the 16th that shows you how to purl, increase, and decrease...it's only like $30 for 2 hours so I think I might check it out. I'm just not quite confident that I'm doing it right on my own.I wish I had a job so that I knew which store would be closest to me. I am dying to buy some new yarn and start a new project, and usually the store you buy the yarn from will help you through your project. So I don't want to buy wool in Rochester and then end up working in Buffalo. God, I worry about the stupidest stuff, eh? Let's all sigh together now and say "Oh Krista". Anywho, I think I might call tomorrow to register for that class. And maybe for the beginner one too, it wouldn't hurt to make sure that I am actually doing the slip knot and casting on properly.I borrowed the first Stitch n Bitch from the local library and it has finally helped something click for me in my knitting. My mom told me that I should be winding the yarn in my hand to help me handle it better so that I'm not constantly dropping it and picking it up again. Of course, I can never listen to what she says. Then in the book, it was talking about it and I tried it and at first it was a little awkward and made my hand ache but then it was like a light turned on and I got it! I really got it! And now I knit a lot faster than I did before. Which is good, because I deseperately want to finish my "summer" poncho...it needs to be done and I just hope to God that it looks okay because after all of this work it had better. I am making myself finish this project before I am allowed to start anything else.I had a couple of cross-stitch projects I had barely started, and I had even picked up my scrapbooking again (the honeymoon album is still not finished...I know, it's bad...I haven't even started our wedding album yet) but those have kind of fallen to the wayside. There is this great TV channel called DIY (Do It Yourself) and they have a hip knitting show on every morning...it's really rekindling my interest in knitting and when I see the projects I just want to knit all of them. They are so funky and they do so many cool things. Oh, if only I could just knit and that was all I had to do! Yeah, try talking John into that. :) Well, one can always dream...

So much has happened...

On October 12, I said goodbye to my coworkers. It was harder than I thought it would be to say goodbye. They had a little party for me with cake and everything and the company and my boss both gave me gifts. It was really thoughtful. And then my friends Helen and Paul said goodbye to me, and that's when the tears really started. They gave me a scrapbook computer program, which is just so great and so perfect. It was a long emotional day.
On October 13, John arrived at my parent's house and then we left for Montreal. It was a long drive, but we got there in good time and found our hotel without too much trouble. We were even there in time to see Alias, which is of course highly important! LOL I was a total mess that night, John can attest to how much fun I wasn't to be around.
October 14 - Interview Day. Our appointment was for 9:30 but we wanted to get there really early to get through security. Good thing we did. We got there and I think were one of the first few through. We were admitted and went upstairs. We were instructed to take a number and were called after about 10 minutes of waiting. Someone reviewed the file with us and then instructed us to wait until our number was called again. We waited about 20-30 minutes that time, and then we went into a small room and were asked a couple more questions. Then we were told that my visa was approved and we could come and pick it up on October 17. We were elated, and went back to the hotel to call our families.Then we had the weekend to kill in Montreal. Unfortunately, it was rainy and cold the whole time, but we checked out a local market, went up the Olympic Tower, went to the Biodome, and of course spent some quality time together.
Monday afternoon, October 17, finally rolled around and after picking up the visa we headed back to my parent's place. We arrived after dinner. The drive was pretty good and the rain had mostly died off. Thankfully, my dad had helped me pack my car beforehand so we didn't have to worry about that.
October 18 we got up, packed up John's car and headed for the border in our vehicles. The border was quite smooth, they checked my documents to make sure everything was order. And then they let me in the country. We drove to our house, which is about an hour from the border, and I had quite a sight in store for me. John had told me that his sister and mother and niece had helped him tidy up the house the weekend before I got there, but they really outdid ourselves. Karen transformed the awful weed garden in the front of the house into a beautiful fall garden, complete with mums, pumpkins, bark, and scarecrows. Our front porch was decorated with bales of hay, cornstalks, and pumpkins. Inside, Karen and her kids had made a banner that said Welcome Home Aunt Krista and had decorated the table with a fall tablecloth, placemats, and a pumpkin centrepiece...and the icing on that beautiful cake....I HAVE A CAT! Karen got him for me for free from the barn she boards her horse and no one wanted him. He is orangey-brown and white and with a little help ;) I called him Marmelade. He is so precious. After we got over the shock (John says he didn't know the cat would be here), we unpacked the cars. Hard to believe I had so much stuff...that that much fit into both the cars and that I still had more left at my parent's house...I must learn how to pare things down more. John didn't have to go to work until Wednesday afternoon so we got to work getting things in order. I am embarassed to admit that the first thing I cooked for him was Kraft Dinner, which I guess is called Kraft Macaroni and Cheese here (or something like that). It was pretty good, but definitely not gourmet! LOL Sometimes it is so weird, like I feel like I've always been here. And then other times I feel like it's just a dream, that after all of this time I am finally here...it's kind of bizarre and out of body-like.
So now it is November 2, I've been here for just over two weeks and things are going well. My things are mostly unpacked and what boxes are still packed are mostly stored away until I can find a place for their contents. John and I are settling in well together, with some bumps along the way. I know we've been married for a year, but we still have a lot of learning to do together about each other's habits and such. I'm not quite sure when I get to work yet, hopefully my documents will be verified this week so that the office can issue me my number. We got the internet today, so naturally I've been on the computer almost all day. AHHHHHH I feel so much better now, you have no idea. I also took Marmelade to his first vet appointment. He wasn't very happy on the ride there; he cried and attacked his cage the whole time. On the way back though, he was much quieter, I think he was scared at the vet and I guess some of the shots made him tired. What a treat it was to have a tired kitty! When I played on the internet all day, he slept on a blanket on the floor beside my chair. I just had to kick him out because he started chewing on the wires. Oh Marmelade!