Knee-high to a Rainbow: The Socks of Life

Return of the King...errr...Queen (day 172)

2011-09-17T23:59:00.001-07:00

Close up of Elephant Socks

Elephant socks w/ leg warmers

Lil' C wearing the shirt and shorties her momma (Autumn) made her

Lil' C waiting in line at Pine State Biscuits

So it was back to work with me today. First day back was good. Had breakfast with Autumn, Matt and Lil' C after ages of Autumn talking it up.

Officially today seemed to mark the end of our month long summer with rain today.

Photos from the end of summer

2011-09-16T15:57:00.000-07:00

Vine socks

Lil Con Man waits for breakfast at Cup & Saucer

Think I found the enterance to the secret garden

Sheriff McPickle is on the job

Harrison the cow a gift from Kai & Fran in Maine!

Button socks and shabby knapsack skirt for my trip to Brewer's Fest in Portland.

My two favorite beers from Brewer's Fest

C & C at the lake

After eating lots of sand

Lil' C gives a smile

Battle Ground Lake

Sun covered in smoke from the forest fires

Ruby Jewel ice cream...yummy!

Lil' C leads the way

Road to Recovery (day 171)

2011-09-16T15:18:00.000-07:00

Mirror Image

I'm back! It's been a while since my last blog, 55 days to be exact. It was starting to feel like an obligation rather than something I enjoyed so I let go of it for some time and now I'm back feeling like I want to write again.

Maybe I just have too many thoughts in my head that it's keeping me up at night. I've been thinking a lot about my life and what I want to do with it. What do I want to have for show at the end? How can I give back to the world, my community? What do I have to offer? These questions have prompted some major soul searching and I'm not sure I've any definitive answers yet. The only answer I have so far is simply...something different, a different path.

I am a believer in that when I need to have the answer I will know what it is. Life is funny that way.

What do you want the fabric of your life to be woven with when you get to the end of it?

Purple Haze of Lumbar Pain (day 116)

2011-07-23T23:58:00.000-07:00

Purple Haze...one of my new socks

-Thought I had a kidney infection or another stone from the amount of pain that my lower back has been in the past week and a half. Turns out, after going to Urgent Care today that it is a lower lumbar sprain. Don't even ask how I did that I have no idea. So I got a shot in my lower back, of an anti-inflammatory which I forgot that I have an allergic reaction to,so my skin has been on fire since about 5pm today.

-I went to get my muscle relaxer prescription, however, the generic brand was over $100! Which is completely insane and I refuse to pay it. I will take Aleve and hope for the best.

-Luckily I just need to make it through one more day of work then I get two days off to rest my back. Needless to say 11 hour shifts on concrete floors is not working wonders for my back.

-Tomorrow is supposed to be 90 degrees so I'm going to turn on the air tonight to prep the house for Lucy and Zelda tomorrow so they are not roasting.

My dog is a wannabe, or so I've heard (day 114)

2011-07-21T19:44:00.000-07:00

Me wearing the Juicy and Autumn making a cameo wearing the Portland Stripe

Lil' C after making an ice cube melty mess

New socks are here

Buttons, Purple Haze, Sock Monkey, Starry Night

Vines, Lightning Stripe, Giraffe, Sunset Stripe, Pocket Watch

-A glorious day off today. Slept in,took Lucy for a leisurely walk, and picked up my milk and cream.

-Met up with Autumn and Lil' C for subs at Jimmie Johns and it made my stomach extremely happy that they are open now. Lil C' had quite the adventure with a cup of ice. Autumn is making a cameo apperance in today's blog photo. (She's totally famous now!)

-The most exciting part of today...opening my mailbox to a package of new Sock It To Me Socks! I can't wait to wear them and post some fun pictures for you guys.

-This evening I did laundry over at Jolene's and got to hang out with Lil' Con Man who reached for my laptop a million times, maybe a future blogger or computer hacker?

-Jolene made a tasty dinner of Mac-n-Cheese and fried chicken. We'll be heading to our usual haunt of the Tiger's Lounge for drinks later.

-All in all a terrific Thursday if you ask me.

Tired gal Tuesday (day 112)

2011-07-19T19:16:00.000-07:00

Heart Feathers

-Worked until 4am on Monday night/Tuesday morning. Meaning today I am super tired, which means my patience is wearing thin.

Hospital vistits preceded by baking (day 111)

2011-07-18T18:37:00.000-07:00

Icy Pop

Lucy-girl enjoying a beautiful sunny day

-Started off my Monday morning with some baking, I did an offshoot of the recipe from Emily of the Coconut Lemon Bars. But the person I made them for is NOT a fan of coconut so I left it out. They did turn out quite tasty but I think I'll up the amount of lemon zest I include the next time I make them.

-I then made the trip up to the hospital to visit a friend, I did come bearing fresh lemon bars. So I am quite the awesome visitor. I think I missed my calling as a candy-striper.

-Work was okay today, I was training someone. Which I secretly enjoy teaching and training, this may be explained by my years of schooling in education.

If life is a cupcake I wanna be the sprinkles (day 109)

2011-07-16T20:53:00.000-07:00

-There are many reasons I love my dog, one of my favorites is that she'll happily eat the sections of bruised banana, that I used to throw away before I got her. Now that is an awesome treat.

-Just another Saturday at work, nothing to write home about.

-On lunch I did see the Star Wars van, so there's that.

-There's some car show thingamabob going on down on Main St. tonight so it's insanely crowed, when I did a little walk down to Pop Culture to bring home some Faygo (glass bottles and made with cane sugar) I swore I'd never seen downtown Vancouver so crowded. Sadly they only had three bottles of Faygo left and no Rockn' Rye which is my favorite. I did score a grape and also an original recipe Dr. Pepper, so not a total loss.

-But to bed early with me as I have an early shift in the morning.

Frolicking Friday Fun (day 108)

2011-07-15T22:38:00.000-07:00

Huckleberry Pancake Ensemble

Sadly no Peter Pan shadow today

Camden made a friend and they puzzled over this bit of strangeness

-Today started out just loverly my friends, I got all gussied up to make some delightfully delicious huckleberry pancakes, which I must say turned out fabulously.

-Mailed out a package to my pen pal, Frannie! Hope she likes the surprise.

-Met up with Autumn and Lil' C to spend some time in the park. We had the perfect weather, although it was a bit toasty after a while.

-Enjoyed dinner with Autumn and Matt, ravoli w/ a beefy sauce. Then had martinis with Jolene to round out my week. All in all a very nice Friday indeed.

-Oh and I'm too excited over the fact that Sock It To Me Socks has new designs coming out next week!!!

Keeping in mind Zombies enjoy cooking too (day 107)

2011-07-14T20:08:00.000-07:00

-Today was plain awful, I'd been up sick since late Wednesday night, which carried on into today.

-I did manage to feel well enough and hungry enough to toss on the apron and whip up some pasta. Also had a little bread since I wasn't sure what my stomach would tolerate and what it wouldn't.

-The only good thing is I did get caught up on some reading, the bad thing is I missed my Josh Ritter book signing and reading at Powell's.

...and that's all I have (day 106)

2011-07-13T21:50:00.000-07:00

Lucy is ready for a car ride to liven up her day

List of words and or phrases to sum up today:

(In no particular order)

Broken tooth
Overslept
Bruised banana
Sugar ants
Stress elbow
Seriously?
@#%* this, I'm outta here
Are you gonna give me my money?
Buzzing noises
More buzzing noises
Loud sneezes

Ahhh...This American Life (day 105)

2011-07-12T18:07:00.000-07:00

-Today was decidedly the kind of day that required ice cream to make it through. Some days working with the public makes me feel like Ralph Kramden "...one of these days... POW!!! Right in the kisser! One of these days Alice, straight to the Moon!"

-Came home and fixed myself a delightful dinner of fettuccine alfredo with chicken.

-Have to go pick up Autumn and Lil' C at the airport and until then I am occupying my time making some cds for a friend to listen to on his drive to work. I've created another fan of Ira Glass and This American Life.

The best days are mismatch Sundays (day 103)

2011-07-10T21:30:00.000-07:00

-What a happy Sunday! Beautiful weather is the best start to any Sunday. I went down to the Saturday Market and picked up my I <3 Mom skirt from Kate, a custom, and I love it.

-Was able to get my cupboard doors painted and new knobs puts on, so now the cabinet job is officially 100% done, which feels great.

-Rewarded myself with the completion of my project by getting some gelatto and walking around the farmer's market.

-Fixed some bread with seasoned olive oil for dipping...delicious.

-I know I'm not going to want to return to work in the morning.

This one time at band camp...(day 99)

2011-07-06T22:00:00.000-07:00

-Working and watching my friend's dying cat Fiona. Stop it...I can smell your jealousy a mile away.

Organization inspired by Jane Austen (day 98)

2011-07-05T22:06:00.000-07:00

-Spent the day organizing and minimizing my belongings after some long and hard contemplation. I want to live as close as I can get to a minimalist lifestyle. I am fully aware that my sock habit doesn't really bode well for my trying this out.

-I've gotten rid of many, many things thus far. It makes me feel good inside to do this.

-Also going to try focusing less on technology and a little more on my personal relationships. After all, I'm mot going to get to the end of my life and wish I'd spent more time on the internet.

-Also started reading A Jane Austen Education and so far it has proved worth spending my time on. In the book he talks about the importance Austen puts on the "little particulars" and it made me realize that these are the threads with which the fabric of our lives is woven. Anyway, I've always been a huge Jane Austen fan and it's interesting that the author is male and giving his perspective on what he learned from Austen, someone he'd considered an author of "chick lit" and not worth his time.

Sparklers are showier incense sticks without that annoying patchouli smell (day 97)

2011-07-04T14:00:00.000-07:00

-Happy July 4th, going to celebrate by sleeping. I am ever-so tired.

Blossoming despair (day 94)

2011-07-01T21:46:00.000-07:00

-Know I just had a vacation but am ready for another one. Something's gotta give, right?

Baking and Motocross mesh, right? (day 93)

2011-06-30T23:38:00.000-07:00

-Baked some delicious chocolate cupcakes. I am fairly certain the rainbow leg warmers are going to give them that lil' something extra special.

-I went to watch a friend race his dirt bike. It's something I'd never pictured myself enjoying but there's just something about the noise and seeming chaos that makes it fun to watch.

A day like any other (day 91)

2011-06-28T22:51:00.001-07:00

-Shopping in red shoes and pirate socks makes all the difference between having fun at the grocery store and not having fun at the grocery store.

What do you mean by that? (day 88)

2011-06-25T21:20:00.001-07:00

-I don't have a whole lot to say work has been taking a lot out of me lately. The routine has been eat, work, walk Lucy, sleep, eat, work, walk Lucy, sleep.

-Was told by 3 customers today that I looked like Pippi Longstocking. I need to stop strong-arming mares. Probably the pigtails and striped socks.

Revenge of the brown hornet (day 87)

2011-06-24T21:21:00.000-07:00

New socks from Sock Dreams

-Today was an employee's last day so I thought I'd bake up some cupcakes as a best of luck to you treat. What I didn't plan on was my clumsy butt tripping over my own feet and dropping a dozen of them all over the sidewalk as well as all down the front of my work pants, which being my last clean pair meant skirt day!

-Truthfully any day I get to wear a skirt is a happy day for me.

-This was clouded over by the fact that I also got a splinter and lost my wallet.

-Not a banner day.

Puddle jumpers (day 86)

2011-06-23T21:19:00.000-07:00

Rainboot socks are so fitting for the Pacific Northwest

-I wish I felt more motivated these days.

Peanut butter, jelly time (day 85)

2011-06-22T22:16:00.000-07:00

Peanut Butter Jelly Time

-Silly as this may sound when I have bad days my socks make them better. Today's choice was such a good idea.

Princess Turkey Baster (day 84)

2011-06-21T21:51:00.000-07:00

-Watched Lil C today. Most of our day was super awesome and fun, we had only a tad bit of melancholy and the infinite sadness this afternoon.

-Autumn and I grabbed a spot of Qdoba for dinner.

-I pampered myself with a manicure this evening as well.

-I tried tights today and while they are fun, they didn't stay up so well. I prefer my knee socks.

Untitled (day 83)

2011-06-20T22:40:00.000-07:00

Grandma and Grandpa on Father's Day.

-Well there had to be one blog that didn't have a fun title, literally my mind drew a blank,.

-I worked a bit on my day off, because I'm just that kind of crazy. Watched the movie "No Strings Attached" knowing it would be your typical cheesy romantic comedy. But I love Natalie Portman so I couldn't resist. It was cute. Also rented Blue Valentine which I watched half of and then fell asleep.

-Tomorrow I am babysitting for Camden, so I'm looking forward to that.

-I sent off some packages today, I can't wait for my nephew to get his surprise. He's gonna love it!

-Also wore my new socks from Sock Dreams and got compliments :)