On The House

FO Finally

jmccarthyhomes@gmail.com (janet) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 23:34:00 +0000

I can't believe it myself, a finished project, and in record time. Originally I purchased this yarn for a long sleeve sweater, then I decided to make a sleeveless shell that had oddly enough lots of holes in it and after I completely finished knitting the sweater I thought it was dumb and unraveled the entire project. It took an hour just to rewind the yarn. Now it's a simple shell that started as a free pattern from the local yarn store (aka LYS, thanks deb), and morphed as I added waist shaping, finished the neckline and sleeves with a single crochet stitch and punched up the hem with a single crochet and scallop edge. I like everything about the sweater; it fits, although I do wish it were an inch or two longer, it is comfortable, it's for summer and it's still summer and it fits!!!! This is an easy project because it's all stockinette stitch, perfect for the car or kid invested afternoons.

Men vs. Women

jmccarthyhomes@gmail.com (janet) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 19:23:00 +0000

Subject: MEN ARE JUST HAPPIER PEOPLE
Do I need a disclaimer for this? Or is WD-40 Enough?
NICKNAMES
If Laura, Kate and Sarah go out for lunch, they will call each other Laura, Kate and Sarah.
If Mike, Dave and John go out, they will affectionately refer to each other as Fat Boy, Godzilla and Four-eyes.
EATING OUT
When the bill arrives, Mike, Dave and John will each throw in $20, even though it's only for $32.50. None of them will have anything smaller and none will actually admit they want change back.
When the girls get their bill, out come the pocket calculators.
MONEY
A man will pay $2 for a $1 item he needs.
A woman will pay $1 for a $2 item that she doesn't need but it's on sale.
BATHROOMS
A man has six items in his bathroom: toothbrush and toothpaste, shaving cream, razor, a bar of soap, and a towel .
The average number of items in the typical woman's bathroom is 337.
A man would not be able to identify more than 20 of these items.
ARGUMENTS
A woman has the last word in any argument.
Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument.
FUTURE
A woman worries about the future until she gets a husband.
A man never worries about the future until he gets a wife.
SUCCESS
A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend.
A successful woman is one who can find such a man.
MARRIAGE
A woman marries a man expecting he will change, but he doesn't.
A man marries a woman expecting that she won't change, but she does.
DRESSING UP
A woman will dress up to go shopping, water the plants, empty the trash, answer the phone, read a book, and get the mail.
A man will dress up for weddings and funerals.
NATURAL
Men wake up as good-looking as they went to bed.
Women somehow deteriorate during the night.
OFFSPRING
Ah, children. A woman knows all about her children. She knows about dentist appointments and romances, best friends, favorite foods, secret fears and hopes and dreams.
A man is vaguely aware of some short people living in the house.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
A married man should forget his mistakes. There's no use in two people remembering the same thing! SO, send this to the women who have a sense of humor and who can handle it ... and to the men who will enjoy reading it.
Peace

Mother Teresa's Words of Wisdom

jmccarthyhomes@gmail.com (janet) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 16:16:00 +0000

My second son graduated from 8th grade last week. He went to a Catholic school from Kindergarten to 8th grade and often through the years I doubted whether the price of tuition had been "worth it". It wasn't easy paying for three boys to go to Catholic school and don't think for one minute that we could afford it. We can't. It is a sacrifice. One of the last celebrations for the grads is a dinner hosted by the 7th grade class. The evening is a reflection of their accomplishments, special moments and fun times. They always have a slide show and then each teacher has a few words to say. I thought these were especially significant. I also thought I might not have ever heard them in a public school.

Occasionally we may feel that it is a waste of time and energy to act with integrity, compassion, and concern for all, especially when our efforts don't seem appreciated. When rejected, we may be reluctant to try again even though everything in our souls cries out for us to move forward.
Mother Teresa, who certainly lived a life that is an example for us all, wrote the following.
Perhaps she also felt let down at times.

People are often unreasonable illogical, and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God;
It never was between you and them anyway.

Mother Teresa

Keep moving toward your goals with integrity and compassion.
When confronted with resistance, smile and do it anyway.

And one last thing...... put your heart into it!

I was profoundly moved by these compelling words I hope you are too!
Peace

Mistaken Identity

jmccarthyhomes@gmail.com (janet) — Wed, 06 May 2009 00:04:00 +0000

WRONG E-MAIL ADDRESS
A lesson to be learned from typing the wrong email address!!!!
A Minneapolis couple decided to go to Florida to thaw out during a particularly icy winter. They planned to stay at the same hotel where they spent their honeymoon 20 years earlier. Because of hectic schedules, it was difficult to coordinate their travel schedules. So, the husband left Minnesota and flew to Florida on Thursday, with his wife flying down the following day. The husband checked into the hotel. There was a computer in his room, so he decided to send an email to his wife. However, he accidentally left out one letter in her email address , and without realizing his error, sent the email.
Meanwhile, somewhere in Houston , a widow had just returned home from her husband's funeral. He was a minister who was called home to glory following a heart attack. The widow decided to check her email expecting messages from relatives an friends. After reading the first message, she screamed and fainted. The widow's son rushed into the room, found his mother on the floor, and saw the computer screen which read:
To: My Loving Wife
Subject: I've Arrived
Date: October 16, 2007
I know you're surprised to hear from me. They have computers here now and you are allowed to send emails to your loved ones. I've just arrived and have been checked in. I've seen that everything has been prepared for your arrival tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing you then!!!! Hope your journey is as uneventful as mine was.
P.S. Sure is freaking hot down here!!

The Hormone Guide

jmccarthyhomes@gmail.com (janet) — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 04:21:00 +0000

The Hormone Guide
Women will understand this! Men should memorize it!

Every woman knows that there are days in the month when all a
man has to do is open his mouth and he takes his life in his hands!

This is a handy guide that should be as common as a driver's
license in the wallet of every husband, boyfriend, co-worker or
significant other!
DANGEROUS: What's for dinner?
SAFER: Can I help you with dinner?
SAFEST: Where would you like to go for dinner?
ULTRA SAFE: Here, have some wine.

DANGEROUS: Are you wearing that?
SAFER: Wow, you sure look good in brown!
SAFEST: WOW! Look at you!
ULTRA SAFE: Here, have some wine

DANGEROUS: What are you so worked up about?
SAFER: Could we be overreacting?
SAFEST: Here's my paycheck.
ULTRA SAFE: Here, have some wine.

DANGEROUS: Should you be eating that?
SAFER: You know, there are a lot of apples left.
SAFEST: Can I get you a piece of chocolate with that?
ULTRA SAFE: Here, have some wine.

DANGEROUS: What did you DO all day?
SAFER: I hope you didn't over-do it today.
SAFEST: I've always loved you in that robe!
ULTRA SAFE: Here, have some wine.

A letter From Dianne Feinstein

jmccarthyhomes@gmail.com (janet) — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 17:40:00 +0000

I got an email response from Dianne Feinstein regarding a letter I sent about the current housing market.
Here it is -
Dear Mrs. McCarthy:

Thank you for contacting me to express your support for including housing market reforms and foreclosure prevention measures in the recently enacted economic recovery bill. I certainly appreciate hearing your suggestions and would like to share with you what was included in the final version of this legislation.

Like you, I am extremely concerned about this severe economic crisis, which has been caused in part by the declining housing market. Last year, there were 837,665 foreclosures filed in California alone, an increase of more than 100 percent over 2007.

As you know, on February 17, 2009, President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (H.R. 1) into law. This important legislation represents a significant investment by the Federal Government in an effort to create jobs and improve our Nation's aging infrastructure. The bill also makes a major commitment to stabilizing the housing market and assisting hardworking Americans. Specifically, the bill will:

oAllow first-time homebuyers to receive a tax credit worth up to $8,000 for homes purchased after January 1, 2009. Recipients of this credit will not have to repay it.

oProvide the Public Housing Capital Fund with $4 billion to help local public housing agencies address a $32 billion backlog in capital needs.

oProvide the HOME Investment fund with $2.25 billion for state and local governments to acquire, construct, and rehabilitate affordable housing.

oInvest $2 billion in the Neighborhood Stabilization Program to allow state and local governments to purchase and rehabilitate foreclosed properties to reduce blight in communities.

You may be interested to learn that I joined Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL) in introducing an amendment to the Senate-version of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 that would have extended the $729,750 maximum conforming loan limits through 2010. However, this amendment was not included in the final version of the bill passed by the Senate.

It is critical that Congress work with the new Administration to restore the American dream of home ownership and this bill is part of that effort. Please know that I will keep your comments and suggestions in mind should further legislation to address our country's housing crisis come before the Senate.

Once again, thank you for writing. If you have any additional questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact my Washington, D.C. office at (202) 224-3841. Best regards.
Sincerely yours,
Dianne Feinstein United States Senator

Well thank you Dianne Feinstein for your response.
Now here's what I think
First of all the $8000 tax credit won't help very many people because the maximum income cap is $75,000 for singles and $150,000 for married filers.
In San Diego where the average price of a home is around $400,000, a single would have to make around $76,000 a year with no debt; car payments , credit cards, etc... in order to qualify for a loan.
How about the $4 billion to help a $32 billion backlog of Public Housing funds. Better than nothing but ....
I grouped the Home Investment fund and Neighborhood Housing fund together because they're essentially the same thing and once again $4.25 billion is of course better than nothing.
Up front all these Obama programs look and sound so nice; money for everyone who needs it and maybe more later, but where is the money coming from? Diane writes ," this important program represents a significant investment by the Federal Government...", aren't WE the government? So the people who are behind on their payments, losing their jobs and business are going to be taxed to provide programs to restore America. Now that really is a new deal and a new direction.

Parkinson's Stories

jmccarthyhomes@gmail.com (janet) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 19:21:00 +0000

The past few weeks have introduced so many new opportunities to help my husband with his Parkinson's. As I continue to meet people and share I discover information and stories that help us cope. What impresses me the most is how strangely I run into the stories.
Like meeting the 92 year old lady at an open house that I was hosting and hearing her stories of the healing miracles of Lourdes. I had forgotten all about Lourdes and there she was telling me how she had been 13 times and witnessed and heard of so very many stories. I laughed and shared how I have always wanted to go to Hawaii but maybe Lourdes should be my dream destination. I was so excited to hear her that I got chills from the possibility of all that Lourdes had to offer.
Every Wednesday I pray the Rosary with a group at my sons school. All very remarkable women and all praying for others needs which in many, many ways are so much more serious than my husbands. I'm talking about mothers dying who have three children in school, or teenagers committing suicide or Dad's diagnosed with brain tumors. It is both humbling and overwhelming to participate in such a group, but always in the voice of group prayer there grows a strength that is far beyond any hug or get well card. Hope and Peace bring great comfort to those who suffer the fates of others, knowing that there is so very little they can do. A lady in this group introduced us to a man who is being treated by an acupuncturist for Parkinson's and is currently off all medication. When I was given this news ( and I do feel like it was a gift), I felt so very blessed, almost as if God himself had talked to me.
In the beginning I was so very scared of the future of Parkinson's and what it would do to my husband, myself and my children, but now I feel a determined comfort that everything will be okay.
In the beginning I felt the situation was hopeless because Parkinson's is an incurable disease and my husband is a difficult patient but now I feel that searching for answers and being supportive is a great help.

Its All In The Way You Look At It

jmccarthyhomes@gmail.com (janet) — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 20:43:00 +0000

I got this in an email. It is not from one of my children. The story did hit home on more than a few levels and it made me laugh.
The Importance of Checking your childs homework -

Dear Mrs. Jones,
I wish to clarify that I am not now, nor have I ever been, an exotic dancer. I work at Home Depot and I told Sarah how hectic it was last week before the blizzard hit. I told her we sold out every single shovel we had. Then I found one more in the back room, and several people were fighting over who would get it. Sarah’s picture does NOT show me dancing around a pole. It's supposed to depict me selling the last snow shovel we had at Home Depot. From now on I will remember to check her homework more thoroughly before she turns it in.

Sincerely,

Planning my next move

jmccarthyhomes@gmail.com (janet) — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 18:14:00 +0000

I received two letters in the mail; one from my doctor and one from the insurance review board, both denying my request for a Thermogram. I am not surprised. Traditional medicine typically doesn't embrace alternatives. Chiropractory has for years been shunned by the medical profession but I have had amazing results - that would have take months to achieve with physical therapy, and know friends and family with similar stories. Yet, the standard practise for back injury, is to use physical therapy or medication. However, I am not discouraged, I now see this as an opportunity to begin the process of chipping away the resistance veneer and paving the way for progress. Both letters cited the investigational nature of Thermograms as a treatment for breast cancer. According to the review board, " It is not superior to standard therapy such as surgical biopsy". True. There is nothing that will give better and more accurate results than cutting into the breast and getting a sample. There are side effects to that option; possibility of spreading the cancer, increased exposure to radiation, and of course the pain and damage to the breast. Thermograms are not an option to surgery, however if they don't find anything on the images to indicate anything exists then it would seem unnecessary to have a biopsy. After all 70% of all mammogram discovered lumps are non-malignant.

At this point I can file an Independent Medical Review application. This is simply a complaint. I am certain this will be a long process.

I am very tempted to simply write a letter to Oprah. She's always looking for a story and this just might be something that would interest her. I don't really care about the $175 I spent. What I care about is spreading the information. As you might have noticed I begin this blog with the goal - to share. There is something in my nature that propels - compels me to share. I can't seem to be comfortable holding on to news that I feel would help someone. My little blog certainly won't spread this information to the level that is necessary, so I turn to the master. What could be more important that informing women ( and men!)that they have another resource to use for detecting breast cancer? Wouldn't you want to know?

Thermogram Update

jmccarthyhomes@gmail.com (janet) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 23:56:00 +0000

Today I received the findings of my Thermogram done on Friday. According to the Thermographist there are no abnormal findings!
I am feeling very relieved and thankful.
Now I want to spread the news about Thermograms. All you big bloggers who have lots of readers - share this story. There are so many women struggling with this issue and they need to know about an alternative to mammograms. There need to know about a procedure that has no radiation, is non-invasive and not painful. Thermograms can detect growths up to ten years prior to mammograms. We need to get the HMO's to use Thermograms as a routine procedure.
Now that I have created a baseline of images I need to go in for yearly Thermograms. It's a little cold in the room but much better than the SPLAT test.
Peace

Thermograms

jmccarthyhomes@gmail.com (janet) — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 18:43:00 +0000

On Dec. 11 ( my youngest sons birthday) I received a card in the mail with the results from my second mammogram. After tearing off the sides and unfolding the letter I was informed that the results indicated I needed to schedule a visit with my doctor for a biopsy. The letter writes, " we don't want to alarm you but federal law requires us to advise you of your options and results". I am so glad there is a law, but must wonder about the rest of the story, I mean who didn't get the letter, and what consequences did they suffer?
Unconvinced of the seriousness of my situation and greatly perturbed, I tore the letter up and threw it away.
On Dec. 31st - New Years Eve I got a call from my doctors nurse. She calmly asked me when I wanted to schedule my biopsy. I calmly said, Never. She was surprised.
A funny thing happens when you keep news like this inside you. After weeks of not saying a word to anyone - I wanted to cry. I was tired and scared and angry. Angry because of this and that and everything in my life that had gone wrong in the last year. My husband has Parkinson's, and now I have breast cancer, it just can't be true.
So, I went crying to the calmest most logical person I know, and in a very short time I dried my eyes and went home to make an appointment. I called my doctors nurse, who told me to call another number, who I left a message with and then after three hours returned my call and told me I needed to call my doctors nurse because she couldn't help me because I needed to see a surgeon. In the course of the conversation she said the word surgeon about 10 times, until I politely asked her not to say that word and then she only said it another 5 times. I then called my doctors nurse but only got a recorded message that the office was now closed for the holiday.
I imagined that I would be playing phone tag with my doctors nurse and the surgeons nurse forever and in the mean time my tumor would grow to be the size of a grapefruit.
Bright and early on Monday morning I called and got an appointment with
the surgeon for a consultation. Then I called my mother aka , Dr. Carol. My mother has suffered with more sickness than anyone I know. The result of decades of searching for answers has turned her into a valuable resource of traditional and non-traditional ( alternative) medicine. She advised me to get a Thermogram.
Here is the interesting part of my story - There exists a technology that can detect an issue YEARS before a tumor can be seen on X-ray or palpated during an exam and truly offers early detection. This technology has been approved by the FDA as an adjunctive screening tool since 1982 and offers No radiation, No compression and No pain.
Thermal cameras detect heat emitted from the body and display it as a picture on a computer monitor. These images are unique to the person and remain stable over time. It is because of these characteristics that thermal imaging is a valuable and effective screening tool. Tumors or other breast diseases measure warmer than surrounding tissue and can thereby alert a physician to a problem before a tumor is actually palpable. Medical doctors who interpret the breast scans are board certified thermologists. Thermography is not limited by breast density and is ideal for women who have had cosmetic or reconstructive surgery, women who refuse mammography, or women who want clinical correlation for an already existing issue. Thermography, because it analyzes a developing process, may identify a problem several years before mammography. As we all know, early detection is important to survival. DITI has an average sensitivity and specificity of 90%. An abnormal thermogram carries a 10x greater risk for cancer. A persistent abnormal thermogram carries a 22x greater risk for cancer. By the time a mammogram locates a tumor, it has been growing for at least 5 years.
The most effective way to find breast cancer is to use all available tools as often as is necessary.
Here is a link to a site that I found very helpful -

http://www.breastthermography.com/breast_thermography_mf.htm
Sadly, thermograms are not covered by most HMO's. The standard practise is mammography. A thermogram costs between $150- $250

Christmas Day

jmccarthyhomes@gmail.com (janet) — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 23:53:00 +0000

I heard the bells on Christmas day

Their old familiar carols play,And wild and sweet,

The words repeat

Of peace on earth, good will to men.
I thought how, as the day had come,

The belfries of all Christendom

Had rolled along

The unbroken song

Of peace on earth, good will to men.
Till ringing, singing, on it's way,

The world revolved from night to day,

A voice, a chime

A chant sublime

Of peace on earth good will to men.
Then from each black, accursed mouth

The cannon thundered in the south

And with the sound

The carols drowned
Of peace on earth good will to men.
It was as if an earthquake rent

The hearthstones of a continent and made forlorn

The households born

Of peace on earth good will to men.
And in despair I bowed my head"There is no peace on earth," I said,"For hate is strong and mocks the song

Of peace on earth, good will to men."
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;The wrong shall fail,the right prevail

With peace on earth, good will to men

Osteopenia

jmccarthyhomes@gmail.com (janet) — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:06:00 +0000

I went for a my first bone density scan and got a big surprise - I have osteopenia.

It is simply the indication that bone loss has occurred and therefore preventative measures need to be taken. Maximum bone mineral density is achieved at 30 and after that it's all down hill. Diet, exercise, illness and certain medications can accelerate bone loss.

My doctor called me with the news. I was told to take calcium supplements and get lots of weight bearing exercise. I work-out, I lift weights, I regularly walk with ankle weights, I take Pilate's and when I'm not deliberately exercising I have three kids who push my body to its limits everyday. How much more can I do? I started to wonder if this advise is totally worthless. I suppose if I wasn't as active perhaps I would have more bone loss, maybe that's the benefit. Either way I think its a weak prescription.

Caffeine, sodas and steroid medication also zap bone loss. I drink very few sodas and I hardly think the one cup of coffee - that I rarely finish is the culprit. What then? How do I solve this mystery? I wonder if nursing 4 kids for a year each contributed? I was a huge fan of nursing. I even went to La Leche meetings. Everyone sat around and nursed and told stories of how wonderful nursing was. No one ever talked about possible side effects like bone loss or sagging body parts.

I've heard that drinking 2% milk doesn't give you the necessary calcium from a regular glass a milk. I can't remember the last time I drank regular milk. Fat is such a giant threat in our society that I think my mother stopped serving whole milk when I was a teen. I remember recently seeing someone drink whole milk and I nearly gagged with disgust.

Family history and being slim are other indicators. Don't know much about family history - my mom hasn't even had a bone scan and she is 71. I am slim - for a couple years when I had braces maybe too slim. Now that they are off and I can chew, I'm eating and I've gained weight but I'm still slim. Is that the final conclusion - being slim caused my osteopenia.

FYI - men can get osteoporosis too. My husband hates milk and rarely takes calcium pills. Yesterday I saw a man with a spine so curved he could barely lift his head upright. I watched him walk to the elevator and thought how painful life must be for him. I was deeply impressed. I don't think that doctors or the medical professionals have adequately addressed this issue and I think that there is a whole lot that is not being shared. I don't want to grow old and not be able to move. I don't want a cane, or a walker, or a wheelchair.
If you know more please share.

What to Do?

jmccarthyhomes@gmail.com (janet) — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 16:29:00 +0000

What do I do?
Do I spend money or save?
If I spend money I get to buy new things and since I've had my stuff for over a week now it's old and therefore no good. I need new stuff. I need to go shopping. I need to hit the going out of business sales and enjoy buying everything at up to 70% off. How I can I resist the urge to shop at the greatest shopping event of the year, the Christmas buying frenzy? 'Tis the season to buy.
But...
If I go shopping I'll have to charge everything 'cause I don't have any money. My credit card debt is already pretty impressive so maybe I should save my money and pay my bills. Maybe I don't need another pair of shoes - I've already got 30. I could skip the hunt for a parking space and save shipping and handling charges and be happy with what I've got. Could I? It feels odd to repress the urge to buy. It feels dare I say un-American. Maybe it's not a good time to buy considering the stock market roller coaster ride, the bailout, stores going out of business, and foreclosers in the news.
But, it seems to me that the economy is strongest when people are buying. When people buy, manufactures make and hire and then those people go shopping. Great.
What to do?
I've wondered for a long time about the economy. I've thought about the mixed messages of buying and saving. Buying creates a healthy economy but debt erodes that foundation. I've wondered if capitalism will continue to exist in America. When do the percentages of government intervention and control change enough to create a new breed and where do I Ms. Consumer fit into the picture?
As much as I ponder the consequences of the changing economy I truly believe that it is not defined by its strongest moment but instead by what happens in its weakest event. America is the Land of Opportunity. As much as we love a bargain we love an opportunity. We seek the niche, we create the new idea and we hope to be lucky enough to spot the trend before anyone else. While companies go out of business, new ones file fictitious names. While the stock market tumbles, money is made by betting on the loss. While homes are foreclosed on, buyers welcome the bargain.
Economist worry that Americans won't spend a lot of money this Christmas. I'm worried that we will.
But, if you can resist the urge to buy more, if you can defeat the challenge to buy gifts for people because you have to, and if you can save your money than you will become one of the powerful in this weak economy. The question is what kind of power do we want, the immediate rush of a new purchase or the quiet strength of acquired wealth?

I Love Your Blog Award

jmccarthyhomes@gmail.com (janet) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 22:39:00 +0000

My friend and neighbor Yarnhog gave me this award a few days ago. I was humbly surprised especially since I hadn't written much in the past weeks. Yarnhog was my inspiration for starting my blog. I still remember the day she told me she had a blog. In a sheepish almost secretive way she smiled and said,
" I started a blog", I said " A What?". I really didn't know. After she explained I asked, "So what's your site name?" Poor lady had to tell me three maybe four times and finally resorted to writing it down. Yarnhog yarnhog what at what com???? Yarnhog, what's that all about? You're not a hog. She couldn't get just one yarnhog because that was already taken so she had to be two. Anyway, six months of reading her entries and I started to see the beauty and benefit of a blog. I remember the early days of writing and getting no comments. I struggled in the quiet wilderness wondering if anyone was reading my site. It was a big event the day I finally got a comment. I loved reading and re-reading the line. Later my friend helped me out again and gave me what I affectionately called,

A bloggers Christmas.

I kept writing and of course reading other sites. I was having fun, making some cyber space friends but relating and sharing in a way that was different from my face to face friends. In the past few weeks I've slipped into what I call a writers Bermuda Triangle. It's that place where thoughts and ideas disappear into thin air and are never found again. Then one day out of the blue I get this pretty award.

Thank you Yarnhog :)

The rules for award acceptance are as follows: 1. The winner can put the logo on their website/blog. 2. Add a link to the person who gave you this award. 3. Nominate at least 5 other websites/blogs. 4. Provide links of the nominated websites/blogs. 5. Leave a message at each website owner that you've nominated.

Here's my five Award winners -

Uberstrickenfrau - Always interesting and fun and really creative.

Deborahkslife - Deborah knits a lot and finishes her projects. It's amazing how much she gets done in a week.

Freerangechick - She knits, writes, and is always working on something interesting.

Shameka - Check out her really cool Obama earrings on ETSY

Yarndork - Thanks for giving us your all and congrats on meeting The Yarnharlot.

My personal thank you to all bloggers who give a little piece of their lives to the world. Thanks for sharing.

Mail Theft

jmccarthyhomes@gmail.com (janet) — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 14:41:00 +0000

It's a normal day nothing particularly exciting happening; take the kids to school, pay some bills, wash clothes, and then something unbelievable happens. A car pulls up to your house, the passenger jumps out, opens your mailbox and grabs your mail. You can't believe what you saw, you rush downstairs and run outside but they are gone. You've been robbed in the middle of the day while you watched and the thief never had to open your front door. But he got away with much more than your T.V. or your Grandmas jewelry, he got all your personal information - he stole your identity.
Two of my neighbors had their mail stolen this week. Evidently the thieves made their first of the month rounds in my neighborhood and left everyone stunned. One neighbor didn't watch the event but after hearing the story decided to check his bank statement and learned that the check he had put in the mail had been stolen and washed and cashed - in one day.
This is a growing problem in our society and serious issue. Identity theft can affect your personal, business and financial worlds for a long time. Prevention is the best remedy.
Here are a few tips -
1. Don't put mail in your mailbox for the letter carrier to pick-up.
2. Get a locking mailbox that has a special compartment the mail drops into and can only be accessed by a key.
Most stories like this have little importance until they hit home and then they become too close to dismiss. This is the time you don't make excuses or pretend that it could never happen to you. This is the time you buy a little piece of mind. Take a close look at your mail box; is it mounted on a weak post that could easily be knocked down. I have heard stories where thieves take the entire mailbox to get the mail.
Please pass this story along because it is worth sharing.

A Prima Question

jmccarthyhomes@gmail.com (janet) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 04:10:00 +0000

Being a new knitter I routinely learn things the hard way because I don't know enough to ask the right questions. Consequently, I have knitted the pattern backwards and had to rip. I have knitted the wrong size and had to rip. I have followed the directions wrong and had to rip, and I have followed the directions exactly and had to rip. I have begun to notice a theme in my knitting projects and in an effort to interrupt that pattern - and actually get an FO, I have tried to work more carefully.

What I have learned is that in the knitting world one cannot ask too many questions. In fact it is probably a very healthy attitude to question everything. I find myself constantly counting each row and reviewing the stitches for any mistakes and reading and re-reading the directions to understand what is to happen. Reading the entire pattern - even if I don't understand it , is also a good idea. I have read my "Free Pattern" from hence forth to be known as Prima - because it is Yarnhogs first hand-spun free pattern. Prima is a great pattern. A simple 4x2 rib knit pattern. I am knitting it with bamboo yarn that I absolutely love, love, love. It is so soft and silky and pretty that I can't wait to enjoy the experience of wearing it. An event that is sure to come soon since I am finished with the back and nearly done with the front. I only have one problem, a rather big problem. I don't know what to do next.

Here's where all you wonderful smarty experienced knitters rescue me.

The challenge-

The directions read -

Shape Neck-

Work across stitches to center of piece and divide for split collar. ( Did that )

Work each side separately until armholes measure 7.5', ending with WS. ( Did one side)

Next Row ; working each side separately, BO 7 sts. at each neck edge.

MY QUESTION-

Since I split the piece I am wondering do I BO in the middle - which would be at the V, or on the ends which would be on the sides. 7 stitches is a lot to BO.

Do you see where my needle is? Do I back off stitches there?

Yeah I now I may have put too much thought into this but after ripping my previous project 3 times I'm more comfortable waiting for the answer than taking the plunge.

ME Too!!!

jmccarthyhomes@gmail.com (janet) — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 18:07:00 +0000

Thanks for the cop-out Yarnhog. I have been challenged shall we say to write. Work, children, life, just a few of the things that have been getting in the way.

So I jumped at the chance to take a fun quiz and discover, "The Best Thing About Me". It is a bit of a shock to see the results in such bold print, but I do humbly accept the fact that I am one hot Passionate woman. Yep that's me ! :)

http:// Your result for The Best Thing About You Test...

Passion

Hot! Passion is your greatest virtue

Passion is an intense emotion that compels feeling, enthusiasm, or desire for anything, and that often requires action. Get that? Requires action. It's very likely you submit to your deepest needs and live life with a flair few others achieve, but many envy. All 7 virtues are a part of you, but your passion runs deepest.
Passionate types: artists, writers, composers, athletes, and heroine addicts.
Your raw relative scores follow. 0% is low, and 100% is perfect, nearly impossible. Note that I pitted the virtues against each other, so in some way these are relative scores. It's impossible to score high on all of them, and a low score on one is just relatively low compared to the other virtues.
YOUR VIRTUES
50% Compassion
44% Intelligence
63% Humility
56% Honesty
13% Discipline
43% Courage
67% Passion

How'd they do that?

jmccarthyhomes@gmail.com (janet) — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 02:35:00 +0000

I love sweater coats. They seem so yummy soft to look at and I just love the feeling of being all wrapped up in wonderful soft yarn. I have found a few for sale that I like, but I always return them because the yarn is cheap acrylic no matter what price I pay. I found this one in a catalog called, Body Central. It's like a cousin of Victoria's Secret, but less underwear. I ordered a blouse from them once and a large would have fit an 8 yr, so I only look at the pretty pictures. Anyway, I really like this coat. It's the perfect length and the design is both casual and classy at the same time. I could wear this with jeans or slacks to the office. I love it, but I don't think the yarn quality is up to my newly trained awareness. Even though I am definitely a novice knitter or as I affectionately call myself a 'baby knitter', I started looking at the coat and decided that I could figure the pattern out. Doesn't that look like a popcorn stitch? Well maybe not.
Anyway here's the challenge. Can anyone figure out how to knit this coat? I'm a small, and I need very detailed instructions. Also, I don't really want the shawl collar to be so big - actually I think the design would be greatly improved and more timeless to have it a more traditional size - maybe just to the edge of the shoulders.
Here's the link to the catalog page where you could get a close-up of the coat and a back picture.
http://www.bodyc.com/BodyCentral/womens.fashion/itemdetl.html?lvl1=NewArrivals&lvl2=NewArrivals2&item=3304
Much thanks and a Starbucks card to the knitter with the know how.
P.S. Tell a friend. I want to have fun with this idea.

Parkinson's

jmccarthyhomes@gmail.com (janet) — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 19:06:00 +0000

Yesterday my husband went to the doctor and was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. It wasn't a big surprise. I have noticed the symptoms for a long time. At first it was just one hand shaking, then two. He has been unsteady when he walks and drags one foot. Now I am noticing his difficulty in speaking. He finally told me that he has to really concentrate when he is walking.
At first he blamed his shakiness on me. I guess denial is common.
My thoughts and emotions are really spinning. I'm resigned to the situation only because there is nothing that I can do to change it. I must accept it in order to move forward. However, I have had thoughts of, "Why him God?" Why me and my family?" I don't dwell on that idea because it is so negative and self absorbed.
Parkinson's is a neurogenerative movement disorder that progressively gets worse and is incurable. Michael J. Fox and Mohammad Ali have Parkinson's. Do you remember seeing Michael when he first announced he had PD? I do. I was stunned. Now I sit in that same dull feeling wondering if my husband will be shaking his head and body like Michael.
Last night I told the children that we need to help Dad more with things like walking the dog and doing chores around the house. They don't know what PD is but they sensed in my voice and manner that it is serious.
My husband was sitting at the kitchen table and very calmly said, "I went to the doctor today and he gave me some medicine". He was staring at the bottle of pills, reading its' complicated instructions. Literally, he takes one pill every day at 7pm for a week, the following week a pill every day at 12pm , the following week a pill at 5am, 12 pm and 7pm and then I can't remember. I am sure I will need to make a chart because he won't remember. He has always resisted taking vitamins or pills.
I didn't cry when he told me. I feel like crying today. I could cry but what good would that do? I'd only have to recover and find a way to get strong. I have cried so very much in the last few years; tears for lost friendships, tears from a brokenheart, tears from failure, tears for nothing. I have learned that tears are worthless.
I have already taped into the Internet for information about PD and am finding that it's a big story to enter into.
I honestly believe that it is not when we stand up to fight or lay down to let it be, it is the moment when we reach out that changes everything.
I am thankful that I have this blog to share my thoughts.
Peace.

Hennalucent ?!?!!!!

jmccarthyhomes@gmail.com (janet) — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 17:48:00 +0000

As you can see from the picture on the box the color is Bark Brown. A shade very close to my original hair color. I thought it was a perfect match and considering the fact that it was the only color choice available in a brown shade, I was happy to shell out $3.99 for the box. Yes, that's right $3.99. After spending a week spraying tea ( rosemary and sage) to restore the hair color to the gray and coffee to give color to the rest of my hair I jumped on the henna idea. It's been a whole week beyond my usual touch-up and I am feeling antsy about the whole idea of going natural. Must be strong.
The goal of this project is to get away from using toxic harsh chemicals on my hair. I carefully read the directions and prepared my mixing bowl, brush and robe. I opened the pouch and discovered not brown but a green shade of powder that smelled. Imagine an earthy, foul, pungent baby poop like smell. Yeah that's about right.
Now I had to balk. I pause to consider the effects of putting this concoction on my head. So far I'm okay with the rosemary sage smell ( rather nice) and the coffee is fun, but this stuff stinks. I thought well I bought the last one on the shelf, maybe since it's all natural it's beyond its' shelf life. I checked the box for an expiration date and found nothing. Fearless, and way to trusting I carefully add hot water according to the directions and discover that not only does it reek but it is green! It's GREEN. Pea soup green. I am now greatly concerned with the prospect of putting GREEN stinky stuff on my head. Originally I was worried that the henna would make my hair red ( I like red hair on other people, but I think that it doesn't work well with my complexion), now I must consider the possibility of getting green highlights. For some CRAZY reason I proceed. I apply the pea soup gooey mixture on my head and stare at my reflection in the mirror. Dear God this is the prayer I need you to answer. I know I thought there were other big important issues - world peace, helping the hungry and paying my bills, but I was wrong - now were talking about my vanity.
The instructions indicate that I need to wait 40 minutes to get the color I want. Yeah right I'm waiting 40 minutes to end up looking like a Martian. I'm not getting ready for Halloween. So after 20 agonizing minutes I hop in the shower. I wash my hair with a passion reserved only for desperate souls who fear the devil or in this case the Hell life will be with Green Hair. I rinse, lather and repeat. Then I sprayed coffee on my hair, hoping that all the green is gone. Yes, I did stop to think about the color combination of green and dark brown. What is that gunk?

After towel drying I began the inspection.

NO GREEN

I start looking for gray.

No Roots

This is what it looks like -

Yeah - Not awful.

Honestly I do have some gray. I think that is more operator error than product related.

Results - Color Good, Gray almost gone. Shiny soft hair and no smell or tint of green.

Now, how long before I have to redye?

To be continued....

Experiment

jmccarthyhomes@gmail.com (janet) — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 22:40:00 +0000

What does this picture look like to you? My morning cup of coffee or tea?
Guess again.
Try my new hair color kit!!
Yeah that's right.
I discovered a way to restore the color to my gray hair and today I brewed up a potion and sprayed it on my hair.
I know how funny this idea must be - coffee and tea for your hair, but wait it actually makes sense if you agree that most medicines, creams and products are plant based.
My motivation is simple. I want to save my hair from the damages of hair dyes. They all contain really harmful chemicals that strip away the hair follicle and dry it out. After a time the hair must be cut for it to look nice. I want to grow my hair longer and nothing is ugly than long dry tangled hair soo... I did a Google search. Low and behold I find this site -
http://www.longlocks.com/hair-care-recipes-cookbook.htm#dye5
and then I find another site with basically the same information. Inspired I went to the health food store and bought herbs in bulk and then I went home and brewed my tea - rosemary and sage, which smells absolutely wonderful, and I filled a spray bottle, sprayed my hair, waited about a half hour and then I shampooed.
My hair is nice and soft and the gray is somewhat covered. According to the directions repeated applications are necessary for full coverage to be achieved. I am willing to give it a try because I love the idea of using all natural products. Think of all the chemicals that enter your body via the tiny pores in the skin. Lotions, soaps, dyes, deodorants etc.... and they all contain chemicals that we couldn't pronounce even if a gun were aimed at us. How much cellular damage
is the cumulative effect of these products having on our systems?
Secondly- one of the side effects of menopause is dry skin and hair loss. Lucky me I got a heavy dose of both and lost a lot of hair. Happily, much of it has grown back but I still have dry skin and hair. I have tried many, many products that make miraculous claims and never come close to being more than a superficial fix. If I am going to make a real change I have to stop chemically processing, blow drying, flat ironing and abusing my hair.
However, I can only be so brave because after all I'm not ready to be old or at least look it so I am giving the new treatment a few weeks and then I'm trying a Henna all natural hair dye.
In the mean time fair warning to friends and family - I may smell like a cross between Folgers and rosemary.
Now is there anybody else who would like to enter this experiment with me? It would be fun share the experience.

Knitting Wisdom

jmccarthyhomes@gmail.com (janet) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 16:56:00 +0000

Tuesday I found out that my office is closing. I just moved to this office after my old company closed the office I was at. I had barely moved-in and now I am faced with the decision of where I want to go. I thought that I really looked into the situation carefully the last time I moved. I interviewed with a lot of company's, asked for referrals and took my time carefully thinking about what I wanted and where I should be. My current manager came very highly recommend - but through no fault of his, in fact he is credited with decreasing the debit by a whopping $250,000 , the office is closing. The office was huge - and literally vacant most of the time, because most agents are working from their homes or on the road. It doesn't make sense for a business to hold onto a building when no one is there most of the time. I only go into the office for client meetings and office meetings. During the summer when my kids are home I work from home.

Regardless of the reasoning and logic of the decision I am still left thinking, "Now what do I do?".

Wednesday I went to a class about REO's - real estate owned, aka, bank foreclosures. Most everyone has heard of the glut of properties ( we don't call them homes when they are owned by the bank), the most common myth is that these houses are the greatest deals in Real estate. They aren't. REO's are a difficult to buy and often a complex and mysterious process. Even following the banks specific instructions ( you must go to special web sites to down load extra forms), there is till no guarantee that you have a bought the house. Have you ever tried or rather been lured into bidding on EBay? The opening bid was $1 or $10 or some amount super low and the auction was open for 10 days. So every day you carefully watched your item and every day you imagined how great it would be to get "it" at such a great price. Then the last day arrived and suddenly bidders showed up. The last hours came and you were out bid over and over again, and the price kept going up until you thought, Hey, I could have just bought this thing a week ago and been done. But now your caught up in the bidding and wanting to win. You lose the bid and the final price is at least a typical sales price or more. Was that a deal? I don't think so.

REO's are a lot like EBay. They start out with a great teaser rate and the offers roll in, fast!. I saw one property the day it came on the market and by noon the next day it had 30 offers. A week later there were 50. Why did they all want the house? It was great and they were dreaming. I tracked the close and sure enough it sold $50k above list price. It sold at market price, - what houses typically go for in that neighborhood.

Well, the prediction is that this REO and short sale market will remain strong right into 2011. That's three years of this nonsense. Which makes me think - Is this what I want to do? I started out wanting to help people, believing that my honesty , integrity and determination were valuable talents and needed. Real estate agent are very optimistic people - and a lot of them are really nice. Everyone in both offices I worked at were generous with their ideas, energy and time. They were sincere and kind. I am always told to never , never give-up, and since I am not a quitter I buy into that mind set, however, there must come a time when the writing on the wall is clear enough to say - move on.

Usually when my mind is full of life's' thoughts like these I busy myself with cleaning or gardening or knitting.

And I have been happily knitting my "Free Pattern" sweater. I have a back almost finished. Knitting is slow because my hand still aches, but I take breaks and massage it and then readjust my hold on the needles, which seems to help. I found a few mistakes and I almost took the whole thing apart. But I decided that the yarn creates these small holes and that I was going to have to live with this special feature. I have carefully counted rows and stitches and I am on track with the pattern so I should be okay. Because when I look at the whole piece it is really quite nice and I love the yarn.

Well now I think I may have stumbled onto a thought.

Knitting wisdom for today - look at the whole piece not the holes!

Thanks

No Cheese , PLEASE

jmccarthyhomes@gmail.com (janet) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 00:43:00 +0000

It used to be that when you ordered a burger you had to request cheese. It was an extra ten cents. Now no matter what window you pull up to the voice always says, Would you like cheese with that? I know all about up- sales and how employees need to meet quotas. I understand the value of service and giving the customer what he wants but I Don't want cheese, or should I say, I don't want a piece of process food product that looks and taste more like plastic blow dried onto my burger. I specifically said - no cheese, I repeated at the end of my order, Please, no cheese, yet what do I get - Cheese. Gooey icky yellow stuff. Yuck that is not cheese, no matter how much they want to believe it is. I know what real cheese taste and looks like - it's creamy and yummy and soft and not shiny.

So, anyway there I was at the speaker box calmly declining cheese on my burger, fries or pie, but what do I get - CHEESE. I checked the burger and cried out - NOOOOOOOO. Three hunger boys, one starving woman and disgusting slimy fake cheese staring back at us like a yellow goo. No longer calm and with great angst I stepped-up to the window and said, " You got my order wrong. I said NO cheese and I got cheese on everything, look it's even stuck to the bag. You also over charged me". Please fix this and fix it fast.

Now usually I don't encourage fast food restaurants to work even faster. It just doesn't seem right to ask over stressed, underpaid, usually ESL employees to work faster. Besides I would rather wait and give them the chance to get it right. But, I was hungry so I push and anyway I got my food and left and we ate and everyone agreed that from now on we go to In-N-Out for burgers 'cause they have like a hundred people working there and they know how to get orders right and I think they use real cheese.

Thanks I needed that!

Back

jmccarthyhomes@gmail.com (janet) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 15:37:00 +0000

The good news is that I don't have carpel tunnel syndrome. My friend had surgery for this problem and she kindly explained all of the symptoms; tingling in the fingers, stiffness and throbbing. Although I have two of the three the first one is the most significant indicator.
I probably just have a case of very sore hand - No big deal. So after a few hand stretches and a little message, I started knitting again, but not before I frogged every single stitch in my completely finished sweater. Yes, I took the entire sweater apart - because it doesn't fit. The one serious flaw with knitting is the inability to correctly gauge size. As I knitted I frequently did a mock fit and everything seemed to be okay. As much as I could imagine the sweater would fit but just as I was finishing the shoulder seams on the back piece I realized that this sweater was too short and the neckline dipped too low. If I were a 14 yo it would have been fine but ...I'm not, soo I pouted over the outcome and then tore the entire sweater apart. Back to the drawing board.
Knitting often seems a metaphor for life for me. How many times have I worked tireless, inspired and motivated, only to discover that after a closer look everything wasn't the way I had imagined and I wasted my time. At that point I have a choice, give up - toss the project and move on, or try to fix it. I am a stubborn and determined person and so I analysed the situation and made a plan. I needed to add an extra row at the bottom. Simple. So I knitted away with a satisfied feeling but.... Well I don't think that is going to work either. Actually I think what I need to do is add maybe three or four rows to each segment in order to increase the sweater length properly. Either way I am too stuck , and too disgusted to think about this anymore, soo I have moved on to "Free Pattern", and it is moving along quite nicely.