Shopping...

Well you know that it's going to be alright.        

I think it's gonna be alright.        

Everything will always be alright.            

When we go shopping....       

I used to be a champion shopper. I liked them all, from the department to the discount stores. My car seemed to automatically swerve towards a WalMart if there was one on the way to my destination. I knew the layout of the mall and every store within. I don’t know when it changed but something happened and shopping didn’t seem as much fun anymore. It could be the lengthy lines of people waiting to get out of the store. Often it takes longer to get out of the store than to do the whole shopping tour. Or maybe it’s the apathy of the store personnel. Then again, it could just be the rudeness of people in general. Whatever the reason, I just don’t like to go much anymore.

This year most of my Christmas shopping was done online. It was so much easier to sit in the chair, click a few times then have whatever delivered to my door, or at least to my husband’s office than to go out hunting and fighting the crowds. It worked really well until I messed up and accidentally had things delivered to an old address on one account. The stuff went to another town. Luckily, the people living in the house knew my name and delivered everything to my daughter!

Maybe not having a willing shopping partner has taken some of the joy out of my quest. There were times, years ago, that my friend Debbie and I could stay in a small town WalMart for two or three hours, just looking at ‘stuff’! But there’s nobody to shop with nowadays. My husband would rather go to the dentist than take a trip to a mall! Now make it Academy or Tractor Supply and he’s a world class shopper! Sometimes my daughter will go with me. Otherwise, I’m on my own. I really don’t mind shopping by myself, most of the time. I can take my time, look at what I want, for as long as I want, try on, dawdle, and generally, just do my thing! But it’s fun, with the right companion, to shop away!

After all the Christmas visitors left, we (my husband and son and I) decided to take an impromptu shopping trip. My oldest son is a great shopping buddy. He could win a prize in the shopping Olympics! So we got a hotel room, piled in the car and took off to San Antonio for a shopping day. We were up relatively early the next morning and headed to an outdoor mall called The Shops at La Cantera. It’s semi upscale, with Neiman Marcus (a good store for me to walk right through) to Macy’s. In fact, we even saw a Payless Shoes there so there’s something for everyone. There happened to be a Bass Pro Shop down the way and an Omnimax theater, so Alan just dropped us off and our fun began. We were looking for bargains and we found a few!

The Shops at La Cantera

Perhaps my favorite treasure was a faux fur coat in a leopard print. Why? Because I could I guess! It was 85% off the regular price. As my sister always says, I couldn’t afford not to! Bryce thinks it’s hideous. And it could be, but I’ll wear it anyway. It’s just for fun. And when I’m in the nursing home I’ll make sure to wear it whenever he comes for a visit!

Fake leopard and I love it!

Quite the haul!

We found a lot of things and had a good lunch. That was our recharge and we went until we couldn’t go anymore. There were so many stores and not enough time! Seriously, even if we had taken another day and night, we still would not have seen everything. Finally, with both of us near exhaustion, and Alan Bass Pro’d and Imaxed out, we headed home. One stop at Rudy’s Barbeque and four and a half hours later, we were snuggled deep in our beds with visions of bargains floating in our heads! It was a good trip.

So shutup 

And never stop. 

Let's shop 

Until we drop...

After that little jaunt my shopping interest is renewed! Of course, I’ll have to wait until I’m in another town because Odessa is severely lacking. One thing I did (sadly) miss out on is the “Happy New Year and Sale” at The Tinsmith's Wife in Comfort, Texas. All their yarn is discounted 25% throughout the rest of 2011 (Wednesday, 12/28, through Saturday, 12/31). That place is one of my all time favorite yarn shops. Their selection is unbelievable. But I really don’t need any yarn anyway. (What? Who said that?) So it wasn’t a big deal. I didn’t have a project in mind and I would have bought yarn so it saved me some money! (Insert a small sob here.)

Speaking of projects, I had a Christmas knitting success! Ty’s friend Jenni, came home with him for the holidays. He had requested a rainbow scarf for her so I knitted one. It was fun and turned out pretty nice. I decided to add buttons on the end so that she could button and loop it, making an infinity or eternity scarf, or leave it unbuttoned and wear as a regular scarf. That’s about the only Christmas knitting I did this year and I’m sure glad I did! She liked it.

Wrapped three times

Up close of buttons. Crocheted loops to fasten

Worn like a regular scarf

Buttoned and looped twice

It's never enough 

Until you've got all the stuff.

When the going gets rough 

Just shop with somebody tough...

Back in Black

I hit the sack. 

I've been too long I'm glad to be back. 

Yes, I'm let loose, 

From the noose, 

That's kept me hanging about... 

It’s the day after Thanksgiving, the ‘beginning’ of the Christmas shopping season. It’s called Black Friday and it’s a crazy day! It’s not really a holiday but most people who don’t work in the retail business have the day off. Everyone deserves the chance to participate in the shopping frenzy!

 The news is already full of stories of people who have their Thanksgivings dinners delivered or prepared in the parking lot of a business where they’ve taken temporary residence while waiting for the magic hour when the sales begin!

There was a time when I was an avid Black Friday shopper. The husband and I would head out early in the morning to whatever store we had chosen, hoping to snag a bargain. We’d get lucky sometimes and actually get what we went after. But we weren’t aggressive shoppers and agreed that if we scored it was good but if we had to get physical to negotiate the deal it wasn’t worth it. We’d finish up and go to IHop or Golden Corral for a great breakfast then head home for a nap. Most often we’d finish and be back at the house by 9:00 am.

I’m not sure whether it’s old age or just the trouble of getting out in the crowd, but there’s seldom a bargain strong enough to attract me now. I haven’t even looked at the ads to see what I’m missing! My daughter is planning to participate. My husband is even talking about it. Me? I’ll stay in with the littles. We’ll make pancakes and hang out in our pj’s til they all get back.

We tried these. They didn't turn out as pretty as hers but they were tasty!

I’m starting to listen to the tv and I’m hearing some tempting commercials. I do need a Christmas tree and I hear there’s one for half price. Then there’s that Crockpot, a fancy one, for just 16.98. And I could buy a sweater and get jeans free and……nah. That old Black Friday Magic almost worked. But not quite!

I've been looking at the sky 

'Cause it's gettin' me high.

Forget the hearse 'cause I never die.

I got nine lives,

Cat's eyes,

Abusin' every one of them and running wild...

Thanksgiving dinner was nice. As expected, it wasn’t finished on time, but that was an oven error on my part. We had too many baked dishes this year, and even with two ovens there wasn’t enough room. We added some new cuisine this year, just for a change. Two dishes I had actually made before but it’s been so long nobody remembered. Callye added fresh Brussels sprouts sautéed with bacon. I don’t really care for Brussels sprouts, but bacon makes anything palatable!

We cooked and cleaned all day and now there is some relaxing to be done! I’m working on a shawl for my sister to give to someone. It’s alpaca, purple, red and blue yarn, depending on how you look at it! I’m on a deadline so I have to get it finished and in the mail. I’m ready to hunker down with a good movie or two and knit on!

Surprise! There are some Black Friday specials…online! That kind of shopping I can do. Especially if there is yarn involved! I like shopping even more if I can knit at the same time!

Check Our Creative Spaces for lots of cool projects!

'Cause I'm back.

Well, I'm back 

Yes, I'm back 

Well, I'm back in black 

Yes, I'm back in black

Time is on My Side

Time is on my side, yes it is.

Time is on my side, yes it is.

Time is on my side. Or so I thought! But it seems like no matter how hard I try, lately there is not enough time in my day to do all the things I want (and need) to do. Time isn’t waiting for me. It’s passing me by.

I stopped at the grocery store and I became my mother. Then my grandmother, and my mamaw. All of the prominent female influences in my life combined and took over my body and my mind. I find myself looking for the bargains and not buying something I want because it’s too expensive. Or maybe I will buy it and I’ll store the leftovers in the refrigerator and drag them out until there’s not enough for anyone to eat. I’ll find it later, forgotten and green, in a plastic container. Or I’ll look at cookbooks and magazines trying to find something new to try then I’ll get the stuff to make the same old thing I always make. When did I become like that?

I think about my daughter, my beautiful 30 year old daughter, and I wonder how it happened that she is already grown. She doesn’t know it, but she is me. She’s the mom with three little kids trying to juggle all the things she has to do and still find time for her. She’s the one who worries that her kids will do well in school or be liked by their peers. She’s the one who tries to please everyone and is disappointed because it seems she always misses the target. She’s the one who worries that she’s too fat, too gray, too old.

I think about my parents and wonder who they are, because they are little old people now, not the mom and dad I know. I worry about their health, their feelings, their welfare. I hope they remember to take the right medicine and call the doctor if needed. I worry that they will be lonely. I think back to when my grandparents were the old people, the old people we thought we’d never lose. But we did lose them and time still went on.

I think about my life and how my thoughts and opinions and actions have changed over the years. I’m not who I was but I’m not who I’ll be. I think about how fast the days pass now. My newborn baby grandson will be eight years old on his birthday. And I wonder where the time goes. I cherish his hugs and when he asks for me and just wants to be with me, because I’m his Mamye. And I know in a short while it will change. He’ll be busy. Then he’ll be the 30 year old. My daughter will be where I am now and I’ll be my mother.

Finally things will slow down. I’ll become my great grandmother who told me the weekends were the worst. She said she could find things to keep her busy during the week. She had phone calls and visits, her knitting and her soap operas to occupy her time. But Sunday she was usually alone. She would cook enough for two or three but nobody came to share her food. She would sit and wait for anyone to drop by but they never came. She said it was the longest and hardest day of the week.

A friend once told me I was on the downside of life. He said we (because we are the same age) are closer to the end then the beginning. That’s a sobering thought! Lately the notion of retiring has crossed my mind. Once I could never imagine not working. But now I count the days until the weekend, when I can do what I want to do, not what I have to do. The things I have to do get done, but at my own pace. Yes, time is on my side. I’m just not sure which side.

Now you always say

That you want to be free,

But you'll come running back.

You'll come running back.

You'll come running back to me…

How many scarves and shawls are too many for one person? I’ve probably reached the limit. But what happened this cold scarf weather morning when I was looking for just the right one to complement my fashionable ensemble? That’s right. There was none. I’m partial to variegated, as evidenced by the picture, so I have more options.

Still, nothing seemed to work. I could either not find a shirt to match a scarf or not find a scarf to match a shirt. Finally, after multiple wardrobe malfunctions, I found a combination that worked. And as I was searching I was planning more projects to supplement the gaps I noticed. It will only take a little time, right? And time, is on my side. Yes it is.

Well, time is on my side, yes it is.

Time is on my side, yes it is...

Oh Girls They Want To Have Fun

If you have to leave to travel for work on a Sunday you might as well make the most of it.

My friend Sharon and I, armed with two Garmins, headed to Austin from Midland. We wanted to stop by Fredericksburg to look around on the way. I knew the way; head to Midland then take the Rankin Highway exit. After a quick Starbucks run we were off. Immediately both Garmins start saying “Recalculating”, mine in the annoying co-worker voice and hers in a male voice with an Australian accent.

I got my Garmin for Christmas. It’s one of the best things ever invented! I have no sense of direction. My family doesn’t understand. They all have built in compasses and know which way northeast is, even in a strange city. I turn the wrong way coming out of a store in the mall. I’ve seen many wonderful things I’ll never see again because I was lost and took the scenic route. So the Garmin has been a lifesaver. I named my Garmin after an annoying co-worker who is always telling me where to go and what to do. There is not a restaurant in the United States she hasn’t been to. There’s some sort of weird satisfaction yelling at the Garmin and using her name! But I’ll be nice and won’t use it here.

I had one of my “dark” blonde moments and I’m really not blonde. The Garmin has a clock on the lower right side. It said 3:15. Because pm is very small and I can’t see it without my glasses, I didn’t know it was a clock. I told Sharon we would be there in three hours and 15 minutes. Sharon is blonde. She gave me a funny look and said how do you know that? It’s simple. It says so right there. We had a good laugh over that one!

Because both Garmin’s were saying recalculate we decided to follow directions and turned as instructed. We were on a curvy road and it really felt like we were going the wrong way. Sure enough, we were. We went back to town to turn right on a different highway. Eventually we got to Fredericksburg.

We didn’t have much time in Fredericksburg but we hit the shops that were open. It was a great shoe buying day! The good thing about some of the training we go to is they put us at hotels at malls. It’s convenient and fun and a lot of the time you never have to leave because everything is right there. We explored the outdoor mall to see what was available and planned our attack. After training on Monday we took off and did what we do well. The night ended with Italian food at Maggiano’s Little Italy. It was a fun night.



Tuesday afternoon we headed back, again through Fredericksburg. It was too late to shop so we ate and headed in. Of course, we followed the Garmin’s directions and were taken way out of the way. Our six hour trip took almost nine hours. It was 1:00 am before I got home. Makes for a long Wednesday that feels like a Monday!


By the way, the training was good. I know a lot more about all the changes and what’s going on where I work than I did. Hopefully something good will come of it.


Knit a year brought variegated yellow on the trip down. It was a beautiful day and there were some more wild flowers, yellow and white. It was a long trip, but it was fun and we laughed a lot. Monday was an off-white novelty yarn with balls of different colors throughout. It was another good day and even though the training was intense (off white) the shopping and friendship afterward was uplifting (colors). Tuesday, the drive home, called for a yarn that is black with pink and blue throughout. It reminded me of our journey, blue sky, sunset and dark.


When the working day is done, Girls - they want to have fun.
Oh girls just want to have fun.