Stash Bash

I'm linking up with Crunchy Catholic Momma for her Stash Bash.

This one is going to be pretty boring, since my camera is doing weird things and I can't figure out why it is acting sick. (shrug) So, no pictures.

I finally got back to the afghan I am crocheting for my baby brother. (Baby brother, only because he's the youngest, definitely not because of his 350lb, 6'2" size!)

His requirements:
1. Make it warm
2. Make it big
3. Don't use pink or purple
4. Make it washable in hot or cold, so he don't have to pay attention to what he's doing.

Everything else was fair game.

Let me tell you, this thing was exact.  (not really)

I chained until I couldn't stretch my arms to cover it from end to end. Then I started to do a half double crochet stitch with two strands of yarn through out the entire thing.  So, it's about 7 feet long and about 5 feet wide.  I am using two different colors at once, and just keep going until the half skeins of scrap yarn is done and add in another one.  You'll have to take my word on it that it is kind of neat to see how the colors go from one set of colors and how it changes by just switching one skein of yarn at a time.

I have about two more rows to finish before I use the black I've had forever that never gets used in a house of 3 girls as the edging.  I should have it done for him before he comes home from college this weekend.

Stash Busting Total: I used about 15-20 partial skeins of acrylic yarn from the stash.  If I had to count and tell you how much was left, I think I would cringe in embarrassment - probably from having to admit to my husband (and myself) how much I still have.

Crazy Weather

Mother Nature has officially flipped her lid.

Today, it is going to be raining and up to 46 F - which could be record warms here in northeast Wisconsin.  Tomorrow, the warm weather is going to run into cold weather and we could get up to 9 inches of snow.  Then, Thursday we have a high of 10 F with possible below zero windchills.  Friday, the high temperature is supposed to be 7 and we could see windchill temperatures as low as -25 F.  That is a 71 degree change in our weather over 4 days.

I think she needs to go on a vacation and return us to regularly scheduled winter, please.

I'm a Mean Mom

Just ask my kids and I'm sure that is what they would tell you.  (especially after the Mom-sized hissy fit this morning when they weren't listening to me).

We have had everyone in the house get that nasty stomach bug where it is coming out one end or the other (graphic - sorry) for the past week.  Frankly, I'm on my last nerve of sick, whiny people, so I have no patience.

I haven't even been able to kick the healthy ones outside this past week, since today is the first day that our windchills have gone above 0 F.  Tuesday, we had windchills about -40 F, the actual temperature was like -11 F.  (Brrrr!)  So, they needed to stay in at school (when they were able to go), too.

We all have cabin fever.  I stuck my body outside, looking like a black polar bear in all my layers, to do chores.  That was it!

Tomorrow morning, I have errands to run and I'm going to do them on my own!!!!!! Mwa ha ha!  And they are going to take a REALLY, REALLY long time!

Glub, Glub, Glub

Those lovely noises are the sounds of me slowing sinking and drowning in my accounting quicksand.

How it the heck can asset accounts be increase by debits and debit accounts increased by credits?


Sound like gibberish?  Yep, that is what is sounds like to me, too.

So, I'm trying to figure out my online class with the help of other online resources - namely nothing to do with the most horribly written accounting book ever!  gaaaaaaaa

It is Crazy Cold

-5 degrees F.

Yep.  That is what my thermometer is reading right now.

However, let me clarify something.  That already frigid temperature is BEFORE adding in the windchill.

You got it folks.  The wind is whipping at about 15 miles per hour.

So, we are sitting at about -20 degrees F.

We bedded down the animals with extra hay and shavings last night and gave them extra food.

This morning for chores, I had my long underwear on top and bottom, shirt and pants, winter boots, scarf, neoprene face mask, hat, thick Carhart jacket, thick gloves.  Pretty sure I looked like a black polar bear wandering around - and I was still frozen.

We have two heat lamps going in the chicken coop - and the water was still frozen.  I had brought out hot water and poured that in their waterer.  I let them drink for awhile, refilling it.  I'll have to go out at noon to give them some more water.  Thank goodness for the goat's heated waterer, but they still enjoyed the hot water that I added to their bucket.  They will probably need more water at noon, too.  People forget how easy it is for people and animals to dehydrate when it is cold - even worse when it is bitterly cold.

I was outside for 20 minutes doing chores. Winter chores usually don't take me that long, but I had to make sure the animals were taken care of.  Honestly, even though I was bundled up, it was COLD.  And to boot, just being out there wipes all the energy from you.

Stay warm.  Tomorrow is going to be even colder - supposed to get wind chills down to -40 degrees F.

Shhh... Do You Hear That?

Shhhh, just take a listen.

Do you hear that?

....

...

...

....

....

...

Me neither!

That nothing you hear (don't hear?) is the sound of an empty house - as in my husband and children are back to work and school after 11 days of being home.

Sigh of relief

Don't get me wrong, I love them all, but by last night, we were driving each other nuts.  So, back to normal - except for the temperature which was a chilly 11 this morning.