Lift Off!!!

Vacation!!! Oh me oh my.

Here's my latest offering to the alpaca gods.

Countdown

1.5 weeks of vacation start in about 20 hours, if I leave work tomorrow at 5pm, which I intend to do (but haven't left that early in eons!).

Not that I'm excited or anything.

Mad scientist alert!

How funny! I've known my Briggs-Myer (sp?) and Keirsey-Joyner temperament types for years and years (INTJ, NT). Heather checked out her type, so I took that particular test, thinking all along, "I'm not really a J anymore, I'm more of a P" (increasingly, I'm procrastinate, but it really really stresses me out to be that way).

And voila, INTJ!
_____________________________________

You Are An INTJ

The Scientist You have a head for ideas - and you are good at improving systems. Logical and strategic, you prefer for everything in your life to be organized. You tend to be a bit skeptical. You're both critical of yourself and of others. Independent and stubborn, you tend to only befriend those who are a lot like you. In love, you are always striving to improve your relationship. You have strong ideas of what love should be like. At work, you excel in figuring out difficult tasks. People think of you as "the brain." You would make an excellent scientist, engineer, or programmer. How you see yourself: Reasonable, knowledgeable, and competent When other people don't get you, they see you as: Aloof, controlling, and insensitive

What's Your Personality Type?

Six months already???

I just realized! Six months ago today I opened up shop and started my wild, crazy and altogether lovely adventure! Six months ago tomorrow is the anniversary of my first sale!

I'm totally focused on Dr. Who tonight (geek much?), so will post more tomorrow.

Yippeee!!!

Friday Friday Friday Friday

This week:

• Eye infection/weirdness/who knows what/must be ebola
• Lupus weirdness (gotta love it)
  
• Work madness - too much to do in too little time
  
• Knitting fever
• Just under an hour left to The Fountainhead (four part audio download -- it's LONG)
• Project Runway was great!
• Summer TV is terrible!
• Which frees me up to listen to music or just enjoy silence!

Never was a Friday needed more. Next Wednesday starts my Nine Days of Vacation!!!

New listing tomorrow!

A wrist cuff (it's just 1.5" wide) using the most fun and bright merino sock yarn from Chestnut Bay Fibers.

After 30 minutes writing the description, computer crashing losing said listing (I'm not quite as in love with Vista as I once was ...), I'm giving you all a sneak peak and give it another go tomorrow night!

Sneak peaks or what's in progress

I just finished a custom order -- it's blocking as I type -- now to work on some of my partially knitted scarves!

1. Misti alpaca garter stitch in yummy fall shades.

2. Sheep shop three wool (G043) in a sort of slanted twisted stitch that I'm really loving so far!

3. Kitty Grrlz, Inc. gorgeous pink, sage/moss, cream, olive variegated merino wool in a simple rib. I think this one will be a neckwarmer, which means I can knit several.

things that make me happy v.2

1. Safeway delivers!!! That makes the girls happy too. We are now super stocked up on their fave foods and industrial-sized litter.
2. Diet pepsi (see #1 -- I'm well stocked now)
3. Listening to the birds in my back yard
4. Starting a new knitting project
5. Finishing a project that I'm liking
6. New soap from Savor (more about that later, probably tomorrow)!
   
7. Cooking!!!
8. My godchildren
9. Excellence -- why settle for mediocrity?
10. Saturday and Sunday morning/early afternoon Food Network cooking shows
    

so so cute

I love Ann Wood, and here's just one reason why.

things that make me happy v.1

In no particular order ('cept maybe my two fuzzy little faces, definitely #1!!!):

1. My two fuzzy little faces
   
2. Season 5, Project Runway
3. Peach Fresca
4. Sleeping in really really late
5. Reading a truly wonderful book
6. Chocolate
7. Coming home from work Friday evenings
8. My wonderful wonderful friends
9. Playing with colors and textures
10. My back yard filled with birdies and squirrels and even possums (alive!)
    

Finding the perfect designer ... priceless!

I told you previously how much I love my new shop banner, logo, thank you cards, etc. from the wonderful Mavora Art and Design from Etsy.

I started working on my Christmas business plan last week in earnest (don't hate me, it's the business manager in me, and I love playing with spreadsheets and numbers!). (And if you're an Etsy seller reading this and haven't done the same, you really really should! More about that later...)

I'm knitting at the speed of light in preparation for chilly weather, based on interest and feedback in my shop, in the midst of insane wildfires and miserable heatwaves! So, I'm planning and implementing all non-knitting aspects of Phydeaux Designs before Labor Day (more on that later too!).

Including finally getting a web ad designed for me (since I stink so miserably at this myself), and taking the plunge for product tags integrated with my whole shop's look and feel. Who to go to? Abby from Mavora, of course! When I say "Abby," I really mean "Abby and Tim." They came up with my new tagline, "Wrap up your look!" as a team.

Abby is so wonderful to work with. She really does have a gift for this. And I really love what she came up with first go (above, left)! I love that the scarf she selected goes so well with the logo colors. I love that there's a sort of vintage-y quality to the overall graphic. I love that this, to me, captures what I've finally understood about my overall aesthetic: rustic elegance. I now feel a little more confident about placing that first web ad! Thank you, Abby!

I was totally confident that she'd come up with a wonderful product tag, while totally nervous about getting product tags. And I don't know what the nervousness is about. Well, I think I do, as I'm typing, but that's a whole new post. Maybe this weekend. And immediately loved her first design!!! I can't wait to see them in person, including the gorgeous little ribbons for attaching.

Le sigh. I'm preparing try a few pieces on consignment, so this gorgeous tag will be the perfect touch. Yay!!! (I'll let you all know how that works out -- it's an experiment, and if it goes well, will repeat, if not, will regroup.)

To all, happy weekend!

Heatwaves and budgets and cupcakes oh my

101 degrees in my town today??? It's almost 10pm, window a/c running full blast, and it's 72 degrees in this room. 85+ and humid in my living room. NEAT. Those who know me well (as well as any passing stranger on the streets) know I can't stand and can't handle anything above 75 degrees. And I grew up in the desert!!! So consider this my public whine to the Universe, and I'll shut up about it now. Hmphhh.

So I always look for the good news along with bad (my Gemini self ...). Finally, truly, completely, the budget submission deadlines are DONE. As of this afternoon! Dear Lord, thank you for keeping me somewhat healthy and marginally sane. Seriously. For real. Amen.

Now when I say "the budget submission deadlines," note what I didn't say was "the entire budget process." Yes..... The entire process will continue through August, with continual changes that I will be requested to make as the budgets are reviewed by higher and higher levels and officials. Then, the final budgets will be released in August (I hope), or September (fiscal year starts on 9/1), and I will then start clarifications and corrections, final final budgets, internal structuring, dissemination, and schedule quarterly budget meetings for each of our groups. The day after that, start the FY10 budget process, cuz I never want to go through this kind of madness again!!!

So what a treat tonight, when I walked up to my door (at 9:03 pm, I'm not very happy to admit) to find a priority box on my step with ... cupcakes! I finally succumbed to what have appeared to be the most beloved sugary treat on Etsy. Wow, oh wow, is all I can say! It would have been nice if I'd thought to take photos of the gorgeously wrapped jars of cupcakes (yes, jars! I know Heather is already furiously thinking about how to do this at home), complete with a stash of plastic forks, bright tissue, precious ribbons around each jar lid, and very carefully packed.

Brilliant!!! I will be a total repeat customer. For those wishing and hoping that I might surprise you in the near to distant future with a cupcake delivery ... you're probably right! Oh, p.s., DELICOUS (I had to try a bite of the "Bare Naked Lemon Lime Cupcake," which very quickly turned into two bites, but I controlled myself and put it in the fridge until I ate dinner). I tell ya, if you have a hankin' for sugar, check these out!!!

10:25 p.m.: UPDATE: OK, so I saved my lemon lime cupcake, instead digging (diving?) into the Envy cupcake. Oh my GOSH. Imagine German Chocolate Cake, but with dark chocolate cake and sans coconut. Imagine butter-rich CARAMEL buttercream smothered with pecans. And imagine caramel and dark fudge layers. I must start an exercise regimen!!!

Harvest Recipe

Napa Harvest Scarf

1 skein of Misti Alpaca hand painted chunky baby alpaca (no baby alpacas were harmed in the making of this scarf)

1 pair size 17 knitting needles

1 miserably hot weekend

Cast on 14 stitches (I used the cable method, but use your method of choice).

Knit each row (garter stitch) until you are about out of yarn (no purls, Kris!). :)

Bind off. Weave in ends. Block (with alpaca, you can pin and mist with water, let dry, but I gave it a brief soak in Soak, pressed moisture, pinned and it was dry in a nano second given the fact that it's 90 degrees in my living room -- why? because with the unbearable heat and resultant sweaty palms, I wanted to give my new scarf a well-deserved bath).

Serves one. Enjoy selflishly -- you deserve it!!! :)

Happy Independence Day!!!

A photoless blog post...

I've been researching my family history for the last couple of years. When I started, I had this vague idea that my folks all came over in the last 100 year, through Ellis Island, that we were 99% German, that if I was lucky I'd get back to the early 1800's, maybe 1700's. I knew that my last namesakes were here in the late 1700's, in Kentucky, but Philadelphia first. And I knew from my maternal Grandma's research (she was phenomenal with this!) that all of my German ancestors who made a pitstop in Russia to escape Europe made it to North Dakota, and eventually California.

Well.

What I didn't expect, but was thrilled to learn!

• Many, if not MOST of my ancestors were early Colonists!
• My last namesakes were in Philadelphia during the Revolutionary War (even earlier), fought in that war, and were also in Philadelphia when George Washington was made President and our country became an independent country. Cool!
• I have lots of French ancestry (if you know my last name, you'd so, "no kidding," but my last name is also very common Irish surname)!
• I have LOTS of more recent French ancestry via Canada -- trappers who married Iriquois women (at least two, maybe three or four), made it to French forts in our country (before it was a country) in "Louisiana Territory," and eventually made it to Saint Louis, Missouri.
• In Saint Louis, an eventual daughter of that line married a Spanish gentleman, born in Spain, soldier in Spain, came to America in the 1700's, was secretary to the Governor or equivalent in Saint Louis (so there's lots of historical documentation about him!).
• Their daughter is one of my great great paternal grandmothers!
• Also on the paternal side, we descend from LOTS of very early colonists, who largely came from Britain, the younger or poorer sons of various British aristocracy. Most of those families are very very well documented way back through the Norman invasion and even earlier. So it's been SO fun for me to find that we're eventually "French" (from France prior to the Norman invasion), meaning that we're really largely descended from Vikings (those ARE the Normans, but that's an entirely separate history lesson), and various groups on the European continent during the middle ages and back through dark ages.

Oh, I could go on, don't get me started, I've already put folks to sleep.

But this to say, Independence Day has taken on an entirely new meaning for me. It's now a day to reflect on what it took for my ancestors who fought for Independence to actually make it to this country. Their ancestors survived innumerable plagues (and there were MANY), the trip across the Atlantic, wars, other assorted diseases, famine, Winter, insurrection (for those who were actually royalty or aristocracy), invasion, the list goes on and on. Not all of my ancestors are "good guys," but it AMAZES me to think of all that happened before in order for me to be born!!!

So Happy Independence Day to all -- your country, lineage, etc. don't matter, we can all celebrate our ancestry, our history, our country. It's a gorgeous day today, perfect for celebration!!!

new goodies