Yarnjeannie's Crochet Cache

We arrived home from North Carolina on Wednesday. I've been having trouble with my knee all week. When I returned to work on Thursday, I was limping badly. My knee was swollen immensely! I went to the doctor today and got an injection in my knee and the news that it's ready for replacement. Not a surprise, as I already had one knee replacement and won't mind having this one done. However, I think I will wait until next year. The doctor said there is no rush, unless I have these flareups often during the year. He feels it was too much walking on the sand, which is hard on your knees anyway. I thought it was just too much walking, period! While on vacation, I finished my round ripple afghan intended as a baby gift to be presented by my brother to a friend he works with. It turned out really nicely, with a reverse single crochet border. Back to vacation - I truly enjoyed visiting the Outer Banks - a lovely place! More photos... Looking forward to a comfortable ...

On a lark, Wayne and I decided to take a long weekend trip somewhere. We wavered - back to the Florida Keys, where we had such a nice stay earlier this year? The 1000 Islands? We decided on heading south to Nags Head, NC. We've never been here, but would come back again in a heartbeat. We drove down on Sunday and checked into the hotel, right on the beach. I love hearing the ocean in the background! The weather is perfect. We spent some time exploring the area, visiting the Bodie Island Lighthouse. I've never seen a lighthouse up close, and I was impressed. We arrived after it had closed to the public. We stopped to see the Wright Brothers National Memorial as well. I could almost feel the exhilaration the brothers experienced, viewing the markers of their initial flights! I especially appreciated the fact that next to their memorial is a small airport! In this photo you can see the marker from their initial takeoff point. I hope you can view the small plane in...

The baby shower at the office for the new boss was a success. He got a nice selection of gifts. I think he was surprised. The cake we ordered was very pretty and tasty, too. The baby sweater and hat were a hit with everyone, I think. The sweater set turned out very pretty - light peach with a darker shade of ribbon accent. The pattern called for flowers attached to the sweater and hat, but I thought it was beautiful without them. I've made this pattern several times before, with the flowers. For some reason, this time I thought it looked better without them. There is a little beret that goes with it. I wish I had taken photos before wrapping them up, but I was a bit rushed for time. Now to get back to my earlier projects.

It's been a busy month - I have a new boss at work. I'm hoping that this goes a lot better than the last one did. The director wants to be sure I tell him if things aren't going well. If it doesn't, I sure hope he listens to me this time, instead of brushing me off like the last time. The new boss seems like a very nice person - but I can't tell if he is genuinely upbeat 100% of the time, or if he's really trying hard! He has a joke for every occasion. If I ask him if he needs anything at the start of the day, he says "A million dollars!" I wish I could relax completely, but once bitten, twice shy. I've always been reserved, but even more so now. I'm afraid I'll come off as a real stick-in-the-mud, with no sense of humor. That is so untrue. I've always thought I have a great sense of humor. I'm just leery with all I've been through. We're supposed to meet at my Dad's today. I honestly don't feel that I...

I don't know if you are familiar with Amish Friendship Bread, but if you aren't now, you soon will be. Someone, somewhere, will come up to you with a recipe, a baggie and if you are lucky, a sample of the finished product. I would like to begin by saying that "bread" is a misnomer. It's cake - a wonderful, calorie-laden delight! I also don't believe it truly comes from the Amish. When was the last time an Amish woman used instant pudding mix? It will come to you in a harmless looking container or zip-loc baggie, in a form called "starter batter". It's a yeast-based batter, and you will be following directions for a 10-day cycle. The baggie form is a lot of fun. You are required to squish the bag every day. Cool! On day 6 of the 10 day process, you will add ingredients to make an even bigger starter batter. On day ten, you add more ingredients and then put 1 cup of starter into each of 4 gallon-sized ziploc baggies. With the remainin...

Well, it's Sunday and it's been a very nice weekend. I must say I like the days getting longer! We had several threats of rain yesterday - it got very dark outside and thundered a few times, but just a few drops of rain until it stopped. Wayne took a drive to Belmar NJ to do some scuba diving. He made two dives - said the water temp was about 44 degrees. VERY COLD! He needs to make about 15 more dives to achieve his divemaster certification. Unfortunately, he lost his camera and underwater housing yesterday. Ironically, he said he took the best photos yet with it. He just purchased the camera in January of this year. He's very upset! I had a good day - watched the Lord of the Rings Trilogy on TV. Loved the movies, loved the music. The weather was a little cooler today, but still nice. We decided to take a ride this afternoon and run a couple of errands. One of those was a stop at Mid Atlantic Scuba Center to drop off the tank Wayne rented for his dive. Dinner...

I haven't spoken too much on this blog concerning my time working for a "toxic" manager. I went to work for him in 2005. I'd already been working for the company for 12 years, and 4 of those in my current position. He was brand new to the company and they decided to make him the HR department supervisor, with the promise of a promotion to manager once he completed his schooling. The company gave him time off during the week to attend school, paid his tuition and promoted him. I was actually transferred to a different building to work with him, as the other HR managers thought that I was the person most likely to get along with him. They assured me that I would like him - he was funny, very amiable, smart and an overall nice guy. The assistant who would have been assigned to him was a very caustic woman - she rubs everyone the wrong way. (Why she is in HR is beyond me.) From the time I started working for him, he seemed to pick at every little thing I did. Eve...