Bugs and Glitches

I have had a few little bugs and glitches in the last few days.

• I lost my keys (turns out I set them on my purse and they fell into the rarely used back pouch...) I searched the other pockets and shook the purse, but they were a tight fit so they didn't jingle. I had checked coat pockets, and the pockets of the purse I normally put them. Luckily, I had a spare from when the hubby had lost them when we were visiting my parents... and then I thought I'd check the pouch, just in case. So, a day and a half later, I found them.
• My laptop, yes, the new one I bought Oct 1, is slower than slow. It's been giving me trouble, little by little, then more and slower, and then my husband spent a bit of time in front of it-remember he's a computer guy. He checked some things and saw error messages indicating my drive is corrupted and the only thing I can do about that is to send it back to it's originating company and have them replace the drive (losing all my data in the process) and send it back in TWO WEEKS!! UGh. So, today I am searching for any data I need so that I won't be sad when I can't recover it. A long, painful process, as slow as this thing is: I am struggling to type this without frustration. On the bright side, my husband has a computer upstairs that I can borrow, if he lets me, to check email and ebay sales, subbing assignments etc. :)
  
• Our phones, the landline, cordless, said "out of range" on the display all day yesterday. We didn't realize it was out until the husband went out and tried to call me. Apparently, someone tripped over the cord and unplugged it, or something. However, we didn't know this and I was thinking our phones went out again: we have bad luck with cordless phones. Positively, that is all fixed!
  
• The biggest, most expensive glitch this week, was my minivan with automatic side doors had issues. It was cold and the doors froze shut on Monday: it is normally in the garage, however, some Christmas decorations, that had been taken down but still wet, were put on my side of the garage, leaving my car out in the cold. Anyway, we tried opening the doors, but there was ice in it, causing the automatic door motor to run, but the door to not go anywhere. I tried a few times, thinking the ice would break free, but I think it burnt the motor on the door behind the driver. So, you have to put the auto doors on "off" drag that door open and then closed, which is super heavy, and if you want to use the other side, turn the auto control to "on" and it works normally. However, you can't leave it on "on" while it's in drive, it beeps. Continuously... because it thinks the door is open. Argh. It's annoying. Both girls have to wait until I open the door from the outside if they want to get out the driver's side as they can't open it! I'm sure it would cost a ton to get it fixed, and it's 6 years old, so the husband is in the mood for a new one. :) So, I am saying we just live with it for a while.
  
• Our garbage disposal has a crack in it, as well, so it drips little puddles of water down under the sink. It is letting water into the electrical wires under it, too. So, when/if we call the plumber to come fix that, I'm thinking the disposal will have to be totally replaced, costing me an arm or a leg.
  

Other than those things, the week has gone well. I subbed Tues and Thurs. Both classes were extremely good! The Thurs class was a kindergarten and some of them were a little wound up, but they weren't too bad. Subbing jobs are few and far between right now, with Mondays off for Martin Luther King, Jr, President's day, just getting back from winter break, etc. I am figuring it will pick up again in Feb and March (spring break isn't until April). We finally got the blast of cold air, and the wind continued, so, no I haven't ran. Three days in a row. woo hoo. I'm not feeling too positive about that. Last week I ate pretty well and kept track of all my calories, intake and output, via a gmail spreadsheet. However, I fell off on that, too.
I have a busy next few weeks ahead: Thursday we are receiving our friends' two children, who are 4 1/2 and 2, I think. A boy and a girl. The husband won a trip to Hawaii through work and neither of their parents could keep the kids. So, we have them Thursday through Sunday, when another of their friends takes them because we have our oldest daughter's sleepover for her twelfth. Then the next week we're having family over for her birthday, for her favorite meal: brunch. :)
I have picked up my knitting again. I ran out last night to the local craft store and grabbed a few pairs of new needles for something new to try. Now I just need to branch out from my normal knit stitch/scarf. I need to try something new. :) I haven't knitted in a while, though, so I think I will pick up the simple scarf I had previously started and work on that. My oldest daughter got a "speed knitting" book for Christmas, so I may pick that up and browse, as well. I bought a couple groups of inexpensive yarn on ebay, too.
I've been reading the Treasures of Weatherby and it's pretty good so far. Not a quick read, so wonderful that I devoured it in one sitting, but that could be time constraints, too. I have read over a quarter of it and find it a good read, for youth, as I previously mentioned. And, in the vein of reading, I also have kept up with my New Testament reading (a chapter a day on weekdays) with a group from our church's circle. Two weeks and counting. :)
I just recently finished my scrapbook of our trip this past summer, but I still have to journal in it-write the captions as to what's happening in the picture. I'm planning on working on that today. We are also headed to a children's theater today with some other friends and then out to dinner, this afternoon. So, hopefully no more bugs or glitches for a while? And they're all minimal things; we all still have our faith, health and positivity, so we're pretty darn lucky! :) Have a great weekend, reader!

Knit

Well, my oldest daughter taught me to knit last Feb but I didn't really get into it until this winter. I have knitted scarves for my aunt, my mom, my sis in law, my mom in law and my two girls. My attempt on the girls' wasn't too hot, but they were first and they don't judge. :) I have enjoyed the basic knit scarf. One stitch top to bottom. However, my brother's wife came down and said, here's how you purl... Ahhh. It's been harder than I thought. I am working on it. :) I need to get scarves made for my grams, too. So, in the vein of informing, here are the basics to knitting and purling. It truly is relaxing. My mom cross stitches and with the pattern, counting, highlighting what is done, many threads, it can be hard, esp to do in the car! But knitting (at least a scarf with one basic stitch) is easier. However, I'm not attempting a sweater where counting and a pattern are also necessary!
Found this at: http://www.craftown.com/knitlesson.htm

How To Knit

CO= Cast On

Make a slip knot on the needle about two yards from the end of the yarn. (This amount varies according to the number of stitches to be cast on, but always allow plenty!) Holding needle in right hand, loop end of yarn around left thumb and hold it in the left palm. Insert tip of needle into loop on thumb, pass yarn leading to the ball around needle from back to front, draw yarn through loop. Slip loop off thumb and tighten stitch thus formed on needle.

Knitting

K=Knit

Holding needle with cast-on stitches in your left hand and second needle in your right, with yarn at back insert tip of right-hand needle into the first stitch from left to right, front to back. With right hand, pass yarn under and over tip of right-hand needle, draw yarn through stitch, and slip stitch just worked in off.

Purling

P=Purl

Holding needle with stitches in your left hand and second needle in your right, with yarn at front insert tip of right-hand needle into first stitch from right to left, back to front. With right hand, pass yarn over and under tip of right-hand needle, draw yarn through stitch, and slip stitch just worked in off left-hand needle.

Increasing

Inc=Increase

Work the stitch as usual but do not slip the stitch just worked in off the left-hand needle; work again in the same stitch inserting the needle into the back of the stitch. Now slip the stitch worked in off the left-hand needle.

Another method of increasing is to knit one stitch in the back of the stitch in the row below, then knit the stitch above as usual.

Decreasing

Dec= Decrease

If knitting, insert tip of right-hand needle into second stitch on left-hand needle, then into first stitch; work the two together as one stitch.

If purling, insert tip of right-hand needle into first stitch on left-hand needle, then into second stitch; work the two together as one stitch.

SL 1, K 1, PSSO

SL=slip. K=Knit. PSSO= Pass slipped stitch over.

Slip stitch from left-hand needle to right-hand one without knitting it. Knit the next stitch. Insert tip of left-hand needle into the slipped stitch, pass it over the knitted stitch, and off needle.

Yarn Over

YO= yarn over

If knitting, bring yarn to front of work, over right-hand needle to back, and then knit the next stitch.

If purling, wind yarn completely around the right-hand needle from front to back. and then purl the next stitch.

Casting on during work

Turn work so needle to which yarn is attached is held in left hand. Insert tip of right-hand needle into first stitch, pass yarn under and over and draw it through stitch; leave stitch worked in on left-hand needle.

Transfer new stitch from right-hand needle to left-hand, needle. Repeat for the required number of stitches, then turn work again and continue as the directions specify.