ChoreWars

So right after I finish whining about how much I hate housework, I come across the link to ChoreWars. I love this. I need to do this. It's housecleaning role-playing. How freaking cool is this???

Roe, my Chore Wars character

Feel like joining our little cleaning and raiding party? Come on by: http://www.chorewars.com/invite.php?id=a6b2a6e5536f

Just a KAL update... and what I hate to clean...

I'm knitting along, got another full pattern repeat on the cabled scarf done last night. And I am almost ready to divide the Jester Hat into the halves needed to make the little Jester points; got some actual train knitting done today. No pictures, sadly, because my remote blogging capability on my cell phone is off - apparently, it's sending my pictures to someone else's blog. WTF? Freaking Verizon.

So I answered one of my thousand MySpace surveys yesterday and was asked what household chore I hate the most. While Stacey said cleaning the toilet - and yes, that is a godawful task - I have to tell you, I hate sweeping/mopping. GOD, do I hate it. I guess it's because I've got so much clutter between the four of us that I have to move so much crap out of the way in order to effectively do so - and since we also have two cats, the fur and the dust just destroys my allergies.

Having said that, I really need to dust, sweep and mop. It looks like a furry monster is living under my bed. Sigh...

I AM Knitting!

I finished another chart repeat (16 rows) on the Cabled Scarf from Vogue Knitting last night. It's shaping up nicely, and even though I am taking a lot of time to get through it, it's a pretty intricate pattern so I'd rather not rush through it.

Having said that, I need train knitting. BIG time. So I cast on for a Jester Hat from Yarn Girls' Guide to Kid Knits. Will it be for Baby Boyd? Will it go into the knitting pile for Baby Benevides? I haven't the foggiest, to be honest; I do know that it's darn cute, it knits up fairly easily, and it's portable for train knitting. So there we have it.

I finished a Christening blanket for Ella, who's the daughter of Mike's best friend (and Will's godfather). I blogged about that over at RoeSpot, so you can go here to read about it if you haven't already. It's a cautionary tale about buying consistent dye lots and being wary of stash diving for large projects.

The TV...

So the new TV is coming on Friday, the living room is in shambles, I have no idea where to put things... arrgh...

We have a new TV stand, which needs to be assembled, but of course Adam doesn't want the TV disabled for too long, so that's making everything a bit of a challenge. We have to still take down the old unit. Ugh... This all has to happen in the next two evenings too.

KAL... Coming Along...

I was able to get a bit more done on the cabled scarf KAL I'm part of; I took care of a few rows this weekend and worked a bit more tonight. I love, love, LOVE this Donata yarn. It knits up like a dream and I just know it's going to be sooo deliciously soft to wear, I'll almost look forward to the cold.

Merrily I KAL Along...

I made some progress on the Ravelry KAL tonight. It doesn't look like much, but you can definitely see the beginning of the cable showing itself. I love it and I love working with the Donata yarn. It is so soft and easy to work with, and it really works well with the bamboo double-pointed needle (dpn) I'm using in lieu of a cable needle as well as the aluminum needle I'm working the scarf on. It's 70% alpaca, so it just feels so soft, I want to wrap myself up in it now.

Knitting Along...

No update on the Cable Scarf KAL today; I'm finishing up Will's Sweeney Todd gauntlets. Pictures coming soon...

And Now, A Podcast

I just wanted to give a heads-up to a very cool video podcast I've stumbled on. Threadbanger is a 'network' for folks who want to make their own clothes/accessories. The podcasts are in these easily digestible 5-7 minute episodes and are rocking. You can catch them on YouTube or on their website, and they accept viewer submissions. Very indie and post-punk influenced. Enjoy!

Knit-A-Long!

Hullo!

So I've blogged over on RoeSpot about the wonder that is Ravelry. For those of you uninitiated or who haven't heard me blathering, suffice to say it's kind of like a knitter/crocheter's MySpace minus the drama.

I've also found myself a cozy home on the YarnThing group of Ravelry. YarnThing is one of the knitting podcasts I recently started listening to and love. Marly, the host, is hilarious - I love when you hear her kids yelling, "Mommy!" in the background; I love that like me, she's absolutely okay with laughing at herself and inviting others in on the joke, and I really appreciate that she has no problem saying, "I love this pattern, but I'm not knitting it in cashmere. Do you know how expensive that is?"

Marly recently suggested that the Ravelry group start a Knit-A-Long (KAL) on this beautiful cabled scarf in the latest issue of Vogue Knitting, and having only participated in one KAL up 'til now, I jumped on the bandwagon. So over the next month or so, I'll blog here about the process of knitting the scarf, show some pictures as it's constructed, and blather on incessantly. First entry coming soon. Enjoy!

Entertainment...

So, our TV is ready to die. It makes this horrible booming sound whenever you turn it on. We're ready to buy a new one, we've chosen the model and store. The big issue is the removal of the old entertainment center, and the need to purchase a new one. Plus, if we're downsizing the furniture, where does all the stuff being stored in it go?

So, what I need from you is thoughts.

Where to buy an entertainment center?
What are good types to get...
Where can I put all of my stuff barring throwing it out? (DVD's, action figures, collectibles, game systems, dvd players, arrrgh)

Holiday Cookies!

Hello everyone!  This is my first post since joining the Goddesses ;)
I've followed it from nearly the beginning ever since Roe told me about it and love the recipes, tips and fantastic finds that have been posted here.

I love to bake especially during the Holidays.  I usually make sugar cookies, gingerbread men, and some new fancy cookie I've never made before.  I have this old-timey cookie cook book that has about 20 cookie recipes including the gingerbread men and sugar cookies.  I've probably tried about 6 of them - almost done!  

Anyway, here's the sugar cookie recipe plus a photo of one of the trays I made.  Some differences from past years:
1.  I don't decorate.  Love to bake - love the whole process but my attention span and patience does wear out so decorating with icing has never really happened with me.  I actually took the time to do it this year and had so much fun!  I think it came out pretty darn good - even though it looks like a 12 year old did them!  Hahaha.
2.  I didn't use the fancy-schmancy gingerbread recipe from my "Classic Holiday Cookies" book that I have used in the past - which I now realized I should've.  Oh well, next year.


Here's the recipe for the sugar cookies:
1 c. butter or margarine softened
3/4 c. sugar
1 egg
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Step 1:  mix the butter and sugar until creamy.  Add the egg and beat until fluffy.
Step 2:  stir the dry ingrediants together and add slowly to the batter.
Step 3:  Form the dough into 2 flat round discs in plastic wrap and store in the fridge until firm (2 hrs minimum or overnight)
Step 4:  Preheat oven to 350 F
Step 5:  Roll out discs to 1/4 inch thickness on lightly floured surface and use any cutout you like.
Step 6:  bake for 7-10 minutes or until lightly golden on ungreased cookie sheets.

Pros:  Easy
           LOVE the cinnamon - adds a bit more flavor and "specialness" to the cookie

Cons:  Dough was super sticky!  It never really firmed and I had to use a lot of flour to prevent sticking on my rolling pin and board.

Over all, it caused more of a headache than necessary.  I'll go to the fancy cookbook next time ;)

The other cookies in the photo are gingerbread men and chocolate dipped orange log cookies.