I’ve hardly had a chance to play around with my camera yet, but I took these a couple of weeks ago.

There’s not a whole lot going on here today. I’m still not quite at 100%, although I do feel pretty good, it’s just this congestion in my ears. It’s maddening. I am waiting anxiously to hear that my friend Jill has had her baby.

I’m also starting to formulate my plan for everything I have planned to knit. I’m working on a few patterns for the store, wanting to knit my new yarn and knitting a whole bunch of stuff for all the new babies coming soon. All of this without the benefit of being able to watch Martha on a DVR while I knit. (Bresnan will be getting another call from me today.)

Honor got his haircut Saturday. Or I should say, we held him down and forced a haircut upon him. Poor little guy, he’s pretty terrified of the clippers. But I absolutely refuse to let him have longer hair than Eden, it’s just not fair. I do have to say, he’s sort of cute.

I just wanted everyone to know that I’m waiting on squares from 4 people still and then I’ll start getting the scarves put together.

I just spent the last 20 minutes on the phone canceling my qwest service at our house. Those many minutes on hold led me to start thinking about customer service, or the lack thereof. Can you think of a place you’ve been recently that has offered you terrific customer service? All I can think of is places that I refuse to go because they’ve treated me so poorly (Circuit City!) I understand that working in retail can have it’s difficult moments, but I also understand that every human being is entitled to a certain amount of respect. And I don’t feel bad about expecting it.

I’ve been thinking about this because of my recent debacle with my internet, phone and television service. We decided to stop paying for both home and cell phone service and go cell only. Because of that, we thought we’d just switch over to cable for our television and internet (hence the canceling of qwest.) I was in California when the cable guy came to hook up our service. I asked Jim to record Grey’s Anatomy for me because I’d be flying home when it aired. He thought that he got it recorded, but when we got home, we couldn’t figure out how to access it. So the next day I called Bresnan to ask them how to access my show and discovered that we don’t even have a DVR.

Apparently they’re out of DVR’s. Of course the installer didn’t bother to tell Jim that we weren’t getting a DVR. Wasn’t that nice of him? I have to admit that I felt really silly about throwing a fit about my television service. It’s not like we’re without heat or something. But if I’m paying for it, and if I’m told I’m going to have a service, I expect to get what I’m paying for. It’s not that hard. They did offer minimal compensation, but in the meantime, we’re without a DVR.

The biggest problem is that I haven’t watched Martha all week and I’m starting to go through withdrawls!

I love, love, love these wraps, I’d eat them any day over sandwiches. You can leave out the turkey to make Vegetarian. mmmmm…

Adapted from a recipe I found in Martha Stewart Everyday Food.

1 package Sandwich wraps
1 can black beans rinsed and drained
1 avocado, thinly sliced
1 red onion thinly
1 package fresh baby spinach leaves
sour cream
pickled jalapenos, finely chopped
1 thinly sliced large tomato
salt and pepper
1 lb smoked turkey breast, sliced thin

Spread sandwich wraps with sour cream, leaving a 1/2 inch border around the edge. Sprinkle with jalapenos and salt and pepper if desired. Evenly distribute beans, avacado, onion, spinach, tomato and turkey. Roll up tightly, folding the ends in. Cut in half and serve immediately. To make portable wrap tightly in waxed paper before cutting.

Edit: and cheese, I’m allergic to cheese so I forgot, but cheddar or monteray jack would be great.

• I’m working on a baby sweater pattern for the store, so I’ve been checking out other baby sweaters. Isn’t this one cute?

•This morning I told Eden that she was going over to her friends house to play and I asked her, “Is (name) your buddy?” and she said, “No, buddies are the soap on TV. I want the pink one and Honor should have the yellow one.”

• I’m having a large amount of regret for taking expired Sudafed, it’s only moderately working and I can’t take more for 3 more hours. My ears are so stuffy I can’t really hear.

• Jim and I are having a debate on who we think the hottest Friend is. He thinks Phoebe and I think Rachel. Who do you think?

My trip began with a rocky start. The plane was really late arriving here to take me to Phoenix, so I was going to miss the last flight to Santa Barbara. After numerous phone calls to Joelene and intense scrutiny of the map of California, it was decided that I would fly from Phoenix to L.A. Joelene drove 3 hours to pick me up in L.A. and then another 3 hours back home. She’s sweet to me, what can I say?

We arrived at Joelenes house around 2:30am, slept for 4 hours and then jumped back in the car to head to Santa Clara for Stitches West. Being in Silicon Valley was interesting. There wasn’t a gas station, grocery store or hardly a restaurant to be found, but there was Yahoo. One thing I know is that all the techie types like a nice hotel! Even it the gift shop was a vending machine full of condoms and ipods.

Our SEVENTY DOLLAR class was really disappointing. I felt like we learned only an hours worth of learning (if that) in a 3 hour class. Basically we learned the double start cast on and how to strand yarn in front of your work. I’ve decided that the double start cast on will hereby be called the 70 dollar cast on.

The Stitches Marketplace was really amazing and at it Joelene and I realized that we were the youngest people there. We also saw some really interesting knitted pieces that led us to our new knitting motto, “Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.” I sort of had a hard time buying yarn. Which I know is hard to believe. I think I overanalyzed my purchases. I did get yarn for a few projects and I also got a really nice knitting purse.

After having lunch with a couple more internet friends, we left Friday afternoon to head back to Joelenes. The car was packed full of sock yarn (and hardly any of it was mine!) and we were really tired. We spent the next day checking out the central coast, eating yummy food and knitting. And then I flew home.

I think Jim was more happy to see me than the kids. That’s ok, cause they made me this really great card. It was a great trip, but it’s good to be home.

I had a really great trip! But the minute I stepped off the plane, I got slammed with a nasty cold. I’ll have a lot more to say tomorrow, but in the meantime, here are a few photos that Joelene took.

Pismo Beach

Vending machine in the Hotel (Notice the condoms next to the ipods, on the other side there was candy and soda. It wouldn’t even take cash, CC only.)

(don’t for get the scarf squares if they haven’t been shipped yet)

I’m flying to California this afternoon. My bags are packed, I’ve got a knitting project for the plane, my ipod is loaded with music my husband doesn’t like and the 5th harry potter book. I’ve made 50 lists, and I can’t imagine how I could possibly forget anything, although I’m sure I have.

I’m worried that I’m going to miss the kids. I don’t want to miss them. I already miss them. I want to go, have a good time and be glad to come home. But I don’t want to miss them. Maybe it’s something about being needed so badly. I do this every time I go on a trip, I worry that I won’t make it back to them and at the same time, get mad at myself for missing them.

The other day Honor got one of my mixing bowls out of the cupboard, filled it with dog food, opened the back door and fed it to the dog. When I found him feeding the dog, I told him to pick up the bowl and put it in the sink. I followed him to the kitchen and found him trying to put the bowl back in the cupboard. It was full of dog slime!! How many dishes have we eaten out of that were full of dried dog slime? It’s a wonder any of us are still alive. So maybe I’ll remember this when I start to miss him. And if that doesn’t work, I can recall how he threw mac and cheese all over the dining room the other day. And I can remember that Eden told me “Whatever” or that every time she gets up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, she leaves the bathroom light on.

Somehow, I think all of this will just make me miss them more.

Have a good week everybody, I’ll be back Monday and I’ll start putting together the scarf swap scarves!

First let me say that these photos are taken with my new Nikon D50. I got an AMAZING deal on ebay for it brand new, with a Nikon case. And before I spend this whole post gushing about my new camera, I’ll move on to the birthday pictures.

She wanted a pony cake and a pony cake she got. Fancy.

They had a torturous time waiting until it was time to eat the cake.

She named this groovy girl after my mom. Note the 40 dollar car in the background. At least she’s still playing with it.