Help, I'm in a Handbasket

When I woke up this morning, my house was 52 degrees. Fahrenheit. So something's wrong there.

So as I shivered, I sat down and wrote a list of everything I have to get done before the relatives descend Thursday: wrap boss's birthday gift; finish-finish Sissy's (new*) present; finish-finish "beer;" finish-finish stockings; finish-finish uncle's ornament; buy a point setter; buy oranges; buy cloves; make pomanders with the kids; clean the house; buy a candle holder for Christmas candles in bathroom; call re lobster (10-12 lbs); buy tall purple pillar candle; put up second tree; buy purple paper plates; see if Home Goods has purple/orange/gold table runner (to match the napkins); paint front door, final coat; put up storm door; hang wreath; paint patches around door and in hallway; get rid of chair**; put out all cardboard recycling; find a place/way to display Christmas cards; buy ribbon for presents; buy candle for snowman holder that is on display; pick up gifts from framer; buy pierogis from ladies in Port Richmond; check out progress in human cloning, see how you can speed it up.

But first, my sister calls just before the office holiday party yesterday: "doctor, bump, leg, remove, biopsy 7-9 days, appointment January 21st, cried, January 2, cancer. Oh, and can you babysit the nieces for me on Friday night?" Talked to my mom who has organized a prayer chain over this bump on my sister's leg. Fortunately, I did wake up eventually and remember that I work in the development office of a hospital. If raising money for a hospital doesn't get you special privileges, what should? When I got to work, I called my friendly orthopaedic surgeon, and now my sister has an appointment on Monday with one of the best plastic surgeons in Philadelphia. And my mother will take all the credit...there was a prayer chain after all.

The heating people are coming to my house today, so I will have to go home, and I'm starting to think this may be the most brilliant thing that could have happened. I can start working on the list instead of doing, well, whatever it is they pay me to do around here...

*I made the JBW reindeer on the way to and in England; she has a little collection.
**when I bought the craft room chairs, the first pair I ordered they only sent one because it was out of stock. One chair, nobody could call to see if I wanted just one?

Busy is an Understatement

So, um, why did I think it was such a good idea to start taking classes while we are preparing for a major campaign at work? It is crazy-busy in my life right now. I haven't had a chance to tell you about my applique class or the earrings I made and I won't get to take photos to decorate such a post because tonight I have CPR and it is just always dark when I try to take a decent photo. I'm a total nut.

In about an hour on the bus, I read crazyauntpurl's new book Drunk, Divorced, and Covered in Car Hair. It was good. It's not quite as funny as the blog, but it's all written in really short chapters for those with no attention spans. It made me a little sad that I never went to the WeHo SnB because that would have been my Stitch n Bitch (see map below), and how many times did Kate try to get me to go? How many times did I try to make myself go? But I thought people would think I was a crap knitter because I sometimes use Lion Brand, or because I rarely do anything very complicated, or when I was doing complicated things, like Sissy's poncho, I needed total silence and to do lots and lots of counting. I worried they'd think I was a smart ass and a fat ass. Clearly, I should not have worried; I should have just gone. But the book ends on a pretty happy note. I've got a little quote over on the 101 page.


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They wouldn't let me show you the 2.8 mile line from my house (Pickford @ Robertson) to that crazy space near Hancock Park. But that was it. 2.8 miles.