Randomly...

Oh my. It's been a while and I've been busy, busy, busy. 

The Robin's Nest sock is coming along. I had a short burst of SSS (Second-Sock-Syndrome) where I actually didn't pick up needles for almost 2 weeks. It was staring at me, guilting me into picking it back up so it could be worn. I know it was. Socks do that. 

I did buy yarn for the Lettuce Lace scarf; I know - I don't need another scarf. And it's not for me. It's for my yoga teacher. I have to take a picture of it and get it on the Ravelry list. 

Hubby is off helping out his mom. Of course, that leads to all kinds of fun. So here's what happened. Tippi had a lump on her back right foot. We had it biopsied because she was worrying it. The biopsy showed "abnormal cells" and the initial pathology report said either "basal cell or melanoma" with a strong lean toward melanoma. Yikes!!

So she was scheduled for surgery. The day before he left. Of course. The DAY he left, Quinn decides that the 2 cysts on her back must burst. Now, you all know I'm a total wimp. I don't do blood, bodily fluids or the like. I'm a community barfer. You barf, I'm right there next to you. Not necessarily for support, but because I'll be barfing right next to you. 

Hubby cleaned Quinn up and suggested a visit to the vet. 

Then we had rain, hail, frogs and locusts. In about 10 minutes. The power was out from 6 p.m. Sunday night till 3 a.m. Monday morning. I had a migraine. Our neighbor across the street got his power back on in about 10 minutes after the microburst, derecho, or whatever they're calling it. 

I'm calling it a "Big Honkin' Storm." Luckily, I was a worry-wart and I'd removed all the birdfeeders, gazing balls, etc. and stowed them along with the patio furniture. "Patio furniture" being those molded plastic chairs we spray-painted along with 2 side tables. Not necessarily "good" furniture, but then we're not really "patio" people. It's just a place where I put my herb pots!

Oh, and the Super Moon.... (See how random this is? My mind is all over the place...) Oh, and I have a temporary crown that did NOT make me happy.

OK. Focus.

Crown: My former dentist (who shall remain nameless, but at whom I am EXTREMELY mad) somehow missed a fractured tooth. Actually, TWO fractured teeth. Molars. So my new dentist told me that at "some point" I would need crowns on both of them. Conveniently, one's on the left and one's on the right. So I did the left side first. That was the week before Hubby left. It hurt. Yes, I was numbed up, but it still hurt. The temporary is in and next month I get the permanent one. I'm going to try to put off the right side till September or so. Just to give myself a breather. 

Super Moon: The Super Moon coincided with what would have been my Granny's 100th birthday! We were able to see it Saturday, but by Sunday, the clouds came in. Granny taught me to knit and crochet, so in her honor, I spent a lot of the day Saturday knitting on the sock.  In between...

Shower cake

Cakes: Baked a shower cake on Friday for delivery Saturday. Baked a retirement cake Saturday for Sunday delivery. Seriously LOVE my Windows phone. Seriously HATE the camera, but again: we knew it had a crappy camera. So sorry about the quality of the pics, but you get the general idea. Here they are. The shower cake was for 30 people. Buttercream frosting, yellow cake, chocolate buttercream filling. Cornelli lace, which (amazingly) happened to match the napkins. Wilton didn't make a lime green tint, so this is Leaf Green with a touch of Lemon Yellow. 

And Hobby Lobby (auuuuuuuuughhh!!!) is getting away from Wilton product for some off-brand. Thanks, guys... Anyway, I felt sorry for the gal hosting the shower. She had planned a back yard shower, but the skies were already spitting and it didn't look good. So she was able to put it in her basement.

Which of course begs the question of my own basement, also known as The Pit of Despair. Crikey, we'd have a hard time sheltering from a tornado...but I digress and I need to focus. Anyway, she ended up hosting it there, and she said that the bride loved the cake. I was happy. 

Retirement cake

The retirement cake was for my fellow alto Sandy, as she retires from the education field. She had a big bash, and this was for 80 people. Chocolate fudge cake with raspberry filling. Now, you have to notice the crown. She told me she wanted pink as a color and that her theme was "Retire like a Queen." That was all the direction she gave me, aside from cake flavor and filling. 

The pans I managed to find at Hobby Lobby. They were the LAST Wilton pans; the new stuff is all the off-brand... (yes, I'm still stewing about that). The pan is called "Paisley" and they showed it with fondant, of course. I don't do fondant. 

I had to send The Kid out for an emergency purchase of disposable frosting bags. My plastic ones are really worn and I need to get restocked. 

I put edible glitter on the cake and headed to the Party Store for a crown. We had the party Sunday, and I couldn't stay long. Aside from that being the day of the Big Honkin' Storm, Tippi was still on pain meds, and I needed to keep an eye on her. Of course, while at the Party Store, I picked up a couple more headbands for Tippi - she has to look good for her therapy gigs!

Sandy's Party

So I get there to set it up, Sandy takes one look at it and squeals. She hollers at her hubby to "show [me] the decorations!!" and her hubby drags me into the dining room to see Sandy's decorations... Now remember, we didn't consult on this... And again, pardon the crappy picture... Yes. Crowns. Lots of them. People didn't believe we hadn't coordinated that. But Scout's Honor - nope. 

We were all sitting on her deck having a lovely conversation as the clouds rolled in. Those of us with smart phones were checking radar and one lady said, "Oh, look, blue sky; it'll blow over without a problem."

Well, then thunder...then PELTING rain!! Ended up with about 50 of us in her house. I drove home and noted areas that had flooded because the rain came down so fast and in such quantity. 

Storm(s): So Hubby's not home. The lights go out just as The Kid is making dinner - he was very proud of making dinner and very annoyed that we lost power for so long. Luckily, I have a candle addiction. We were trying to find a flashlight. Well, there was one. But no batteries. And mysteriously, the mag light happened to disappear. But we were relatively good sports about it. Power came on at 3 a.m. and I was fidgety all night. 

So how do you prevent future storms? You go the next day to Menard's and buy 2 lanterns and 2 flashlights, plus a whack of batteries. There were no storms Tuesday. See? 

Tippi: The doc removed the large lump. She's shaved up her leg, and was on a pain patch for the week. They did a pathology report and came back with NO CANCER!!! Yay!!! The vet did say that it was a good thing we removed it because it was "abnormal cells" and it could've gone either way. He said it could have been an old injury which got irritated, much like a pearl is created from a bit of grit in an oyster. She's gimping around a bit, but is getting back to herself, having pooped and now eating like a longshoreman. 

Other Knitting Blogs: I'm going to have to take a cue from other bloggers and link to blogs that I read. I have a list of new ones to check out. As soon as I figure out how to link them on this new version of Blogspot, I'll get them up there. I see The Panopticon, and Franklin is knitting a pair of bathing shorts. Man, if I hadn't used up all my vacation, I'd go on that cruise just to meet him and see the results. He sounds like a hoot, and his work is phenomenal. I do have his listed, and the Yarn Harlot. Just have to update it a bit.

Sadly, Mary Lynn Quilts and Knits is no longer. Our dear Knitwit friend Mary Lynn died from lymphoma in May. I wonder if she knew more than she'd say...she was, up till 2 weeks before she died, knitting furiously. 

OK, I think that's all. Whew. Yes, I have to get back to this. We haven't even touched on SCOTUS and all that stuff. But then, I deliberately went into a "news hole" on TV. I'm reading the Trib and skimming HuffPo, but I really, really don't want to dive into the cesspool. 

I'll get back to it. Just not now.