Goodbye, Dear Friend

Chessa-Roo
4/30/94-7/27/09

It is with a sad and heavy heart that I say goodbye to a dear and special friend who has been by my side through thick and thin, through sickness and in good health for 13 years. We've spent many hours together, she with love in her eyes and a purr always at the ready for whomever walked in the door as everyone was always there to see her (at least in her mind). In Russian, Chessa means Bearer of Peace and Calm. And she always has been, instilling it in our home daily. It is a sad day today knowing that she no longer brings that gift to our home and that we'll no longer have her wanting love and affection from us pretty much all the time. We will miss you, Roo, but know you've gone on to a place where your love-bucket is now full to over-flowing and that you don't hurt any more. What more could I wish for for you?

And the Dyeing Goes On....

Here' some tweedy-types from Knit Picks...

and double-knit sock blanks....

and my favorite, the "faux-kettle technique" that was so easy and quick with just the coloring I love! These five are Cascade sock yarn...

And my all-time favorite, the Knit Picks 70% Merino/30% Silk. Maybe it's one of my favorites because I'm very fond of the silk. I'm also very fond of this luscious chocolate brown.

Dyeing Days...

Okay, so here are the results of the dyeing days...from the Louet sock dyeing class on the 17th.

Just Another Monday

There should be fanfare....and streamers...and balloons...and a big parade! Okay, maybe not quite that much. But it seems like there should be something that would mark this day as different than the rest. Only because IT IS! So VERY different. Today is the day I reached my first milestone....the 50 between the 100's....down a total of 45 pounds! I'm so excited yet it's just another Monday...get up, get dressed, go to work, struggle through the day...etc., when all I want to do is yell to the world, "I did it! Can't you see? I DID IT! I really did! And therefore I can CONTINUE to do it!" Yet, here I am, processing billing and sitting on conference calls trying not to burst at the seams working with people who just wouldn't understand and probably wouldn't care. People who don't know me, or people who do who are tired of hearing about it. That's okay. I know. Those who care about me know because they let me know. "I did it...I did it...I did it..."

Surprise!

Yes, I can still surprise myself. After being invited to a BBQ yesterday for the 4th of July, I was in a normal quandry: what to wear. It would be warm, but I had no shorts I would wear in public. A dress would be comfortable but might be too cool as it cooled down later on in the evening. A-HA! There's a pair of denim capris in the closet that I had bought on close-out for $10 several months back knowing they'd fit sometime during the summer. Would that be now? So I tried them on. WOW! It's NOW! I thought it would be another month or two before I could get into them. Guess I was way off base. Early on after surgery while everyone was telling me that they could see the difference as I was reporting the weight-loss and my disappointment because I couldn't see it, I wanted to cry with my impatience. I wanted to buy new clothes a size smaller and feel the difference. What I didn't realize was that at the larger sizes it takes more loss to show that difference. I now know that, and do finally see the difference. Some of the clothes that I ordered in the last batch at a smaller size than I had been ordering have to go back anyway because they're TOO BIG! Too funny! HAHAHAHAHAHA. Laugh's on me! and I'm laughing all the way to wherever this adventure is taking me!