Las Vegas - The Nerdy Way

Cole and I just got back from a long weekend together. No kids. Thank the good Lord above. Seriously. There is no way my children will ever be allowed to venture to Las Vegas. Ever. Period. Unless, of course, they promise to tour the area like we did...giant nerds. As soon as we landed and picked up our rental car, we drove our tired selves to the Hoover Dam!

It was incredible. So massive. So mind boggling. So hot! I had horrible vertigo on top of the damn, overwhelming anxiety inside the dam, and it was well worth the cash we shelled out to go through all of the tours. :)

Staying FAR from the edge

The river by the power plant.

Just a bit warm

Hats everywhere that had been blown off people's heads

Hat graveyard

Notice the tense shoulders...I was actually sore the following day like I had worked-out or something.

30 Steel tunnel in original diversion tunnel

How the dam works

Looking somewhat happy while fighting the urge to vomit everywhere in the tunnel

Inside the power plant at the bottom of the dam. The generators are SEVEN stories tall.

Yep, people actually work here.

The cranes at the top of the building are used for repair work

It was built with tourism in mind so the floors have ornate patterns

Italian marble tunnels...shoulders still very tense

Vent at from of the dam

View from the vent

Tunnel to the vent...not very big

Disaster escape staircase. You can't tell at all from the picture, but it looks like the stairs go straight up.

Looking down from the top of the dam

Arizona side of the dam

Lake Mead

Nevada side of the dam

Cole recovering from melting his fingerprints off on the door handle of the car.

The following day we went to the Atomic Testing Museum. On purpose. That's how nerds roll in Vegas. It was a trek. We walk EVERYWHERE on our vacations. Always have, always will. The testing museum turned out to be over three miles from our hotel. Now, walking three miles ain't no thang, but when it's 110 degrees outside and you have to turn around and walk ANOTHER three miles back...it's not very fun. Of course, I also wore highly inappropriate shoes and wound up with a blister roughly the size of a squirrel on my right foot which made the walk that much better.

Next up...The Atomic Testing Museum

This shows how the kids in the testing area witnessed so many atomic tests. Weird.

Had to take this picture for my nephew who think hearing the word "ass" is the funniest thing on the planet.

After we made it back to The Strip from the museum, we decided it was time to gamble and enjoy some of those delightfully free drinks. That's when the trip really started getting good for me. :-) To be continued...

Super Shoes

Today was quite a day. The boys desperately needed new tennis shoes, and since Ian didn't have school, I decided we would tackle this shopping today. I thought we would go to the mall, find some shoes, play in the play area, and leave. HA! If only it could have been so simple. No, today turned into the most convoluted shopping trip of my life. It was crazy. Ian insisted that he wanted "super shoes" like his friend, Benjamin, at school. I had NOOOOOOO idea what that meant so I was on a wild goose chase all afternoon.

We went to the mall first, and while we were there we went to JCPenney, The Children's Place, Sears, Track 'N Trail (twice), Trade Home, Macy's, Footlocker, and Finish Line. Occasionally, we would see a pair of "super shoes," but most often Ian would say, "These are ugly," and we would leave. I can't say that he was wrong, though. Have you been shopping for shoes this spring? This spring's collection could be called, "The Shoes that Taste Forgot." Hideous!!! All of them.

Ian kept telling me that super shoes "look like this" and would swing his finger through the air. He also kept insisting that super shoes are orange, so I dragged him back to Track 'N Trail to look at the ONLY pair of orange shoes we had seen all day, a very tasteful pair of Merrell's. He mulled over the shoes for a very, very, very long time. Finally, I said, "Will you wear these...yes or no?" He said, "No," and we left.

I don't remember what store we went to, but eventually we went into a store, Ian pointed to the ceiling and yelled, "Look! That means super shoes!" It was a Nike swoosh. That also explained why he kept insisting super shoes are orange...the Nike shoe box is orange. Finally, we were getting somewhere! Well, like I said earlier, every pair of shoes we had seen was atrocious, but the Nikes were by far the most offensive. I was feeling defeated by this point, but I refused to give up! I was going to find a pair of super shoes if it killed me.

We left the mall and went to Gordman's where I quickly found Eli a pair of New Balance sneakers. This was a huge deal for me because Eli has NEVER owned a pair of name brand shoes. Never! I'm not into spending mad bank for shoes that will be destroyed in a week. These were only $32 so I was okay with it. Plus, I have already laid down the law that these shoes will NOT be played in. These will stay nice and neat. Still no super shoes for Ian.

Eli's new kicks

We then went to Kohl's where Ian thought he had finally found the super shoes of his dreams. The only problem was, they were a size too big. I kept scouring the shelves, searching desperately, while Ian kept telling me, "I've found them, Mom. I'm just going to go to the register." I felt really bad making him put them back. I know his little heart deeply desired these super shoes, but I was not buying shoes that didn't fit.

We then went to Mosser's (they don't sell kids' shoes), then Meijer (nada), and finally we went to Shoe Carnival. Let me tell ya, by this time I was ready to pull my hair out....one strand at a time. We were past the three hour mark of this ridiculous shopping trip and I was quickly losing my patience while the boys were losing their ability to make choices that make a mom proud.

At long last, we found one, yes ONE, pair of acceptable super shoes. The criteria: velcro closures, as I will not assist with shoes and neither will teachers at school, and they could not be vomit inducing. While these are definitely not the most attractive shoes I've ever seen, they are by far the best looking pair of the season. Good gracious, I saw some disgusting footwear today! I was not very pleased with the price, but I thought about the cost per month, assuming he'll wear them for the next 6 months, and decided it was alright. He was so happy he could barely contain himself. He can't believe he has a pair of super shoes. I told him, "Super shoes are called Nikes," to which he responded, "Oh, I love my Tikes!" (<--not a typo) He can't wait to run the track and see how fast he is. This is also the first pair of name brand shoes I have ever purchased for Ian. Poor Anderson kids...Old Navy is like Saks Fifth Avenue at our house so they really only know the wonders of Target.

Ian's new shoes

So, four hours and $$ later, the boys now have shoes that can be worn someplace other than the sandbox, and I have a headache the size of Montana. All in a day's work for this mom. And if this story isn't a testament to the power of branding, I don't know what is.

My Fingerless Gloves

Ah, my fingerless gloves. They are a tremendous accomplishment in my eyes. There is NOTHING fancy about them, but I made them without a pattern and that was HUGE for me. I've never written a pattern before, so here's my first attempt at writing one. It very well could be a hot mess, but looks fine to me since I made them. We shall see!

You will need:

four, size 7 double pointed needles

four, size 8 double pointed needles

Paton's Classic Worsted Wool in Mercury

Paton's Classic Worsted Wool in Lemongrass

Tapestry needle for weaving loose ends

Using size 7 dpn, cast on 30 stitches with color A, and distribute stiches evenly on three needles.

Round 1: join for working in the round, k all sts

Round 2: *k1, p1, repeat from * to end

Round 3: k

Repeat rounds 2 and 3 six times

Switch to size 8 dpn

Round 14: Attach color B, k all sts for two rounds

Round 16: Switch to color A, k all sts for eight rounds

Round 24: Switch to color B, k all sts for three rounds

Round 27: Switch to color A, k all sts for five rounds

Round 32: Switch to color B, k all sts for five rounds

Round 37: Switch to color A, k all sts for three rounds, break yarn

*The next eight rows are worked flat*

Row 40: Switch to color B, k

Row 41: p

Repeat rows 40 and 41 four times

Do not continue working in the round after completing row 40

The eight rows of color B are not joined

These rows are worked flat to create a simple thumb hole.

Attach color A, rejoin for working in the round

Round 48: k all sts for two rounds, break yarn

Round 50: Switch to color B, k all sts for six rounds

Switch to size 7 dpns

Round 56: *k1, p1, repeat from * to end

Round 57: k

Repeat rounds 56 and 57 three times

Round 62: k

Bind off all sts, weave in all loose ends

Wear proudly! My favorite part. :-)

Whit's (Mitts) Gift Bag

For my sister Whitney's birthday I made her a pair of fingerless gloves. The picture of the gloves is on the memory card for the camera; I'll post pictures of those eventually.

Once I was finished with them, I decided to make a gift bag for the gloves with the same yarn.

It was another pattern from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson. It was a really, really easy project and I LOVED the end product. (The gloves are already in the bag in this picture)

Wouldn't the Christmas tree look absolutely lovely with all knitted gift bags in rich ruby red? I better get to work on that.

Old Houses....Am I Right?

If one more thing chooses to screw up around this house, I'm going to lose it. If only I could foresee what it is going to be next.

First, the garage door opener died. Say, what?! It's true. After who knows how many years of lifting a solid wood, double stall door it died. It's as old as dirt so I can't say I'm surprised, but it still stinks.

What's wrong? Never heard of a "Frantz" garage door opener? No worries. Neither has ANYONE else!

This opener still works like a charm. Luckily for me, all of those pokey little metal spikes on the circuit board have pulled off enough skin from my finger tips over the past four years that they are now covered with a protective layer of my epidermis and no longer make me bleed each time I wiggle my finger in there to make the metal bars connect. As you can see, the plastic button flipped me the bird and gave up years ago.

The very next day after the garage door opener died, the dishwasher freaked out on me. It cycled through the entire wash/rinse/sanitize/dry process in about 30 seconds. Uh....pretty sure that's not supposed to happen. She hasn't done it again because I'm pretty sure she knows I'll kick the shit out of her if she pulls that crap again. I can't let the ol' girl die, though, because how will we ever find another one to match...

...the stove, which shockingly enough, only has two working burners. WHAT?! You didn't see that coming, did you? Neither of the front burners has ever worked, but when you have small children you don't really use front burners anyway. And if you are like me, you rarely use any burners at all! Damn, I'm feeling cheeky today.

I'm more of a let's-warm-something-up-in-the-microwave kind of gal. But, guess what! This stupid thing started playing the freaky music from "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" the other night! Seriously. It sounded like it was just going to start flashing its lights and fly its happy ass over to Devils Tower for a family reunion. What is going on in this house?!?!?!

And, of course, no tale of dying appliances would be complete without a furnace threatening to stop working. Yep, this is our furnace. Our heater guy estimates her to be 35-40 years old but in great shape....all things considered. She started making wack-a-doo noises a couple of days again, then quieted down. I forgot to call the repair guy yesterday because she kept quiet all day, but then, as soon as it was time for the chums to go to bed, she decided to act like a complete and total a-hole and started whining and rattling at the top of her...um...intake vent? All I have to say is she better watch herself. She's in the basement where nobody can hear her scream.

When we bought this house, we knew everything was old. We were fine with that. It was a house we could comfortably afford, and it still has a lot of charm. I never ever ever want to move from this house. But, I have to be honest, I liked it whole lot more before everything started threatening death.

Mom's Legwarmers

My mom recently celebrated her birthday, and since I've been knitting full steam recently, I figured I'd continue the trend for her. I decided on a pair of legwarmers. She is always FREEZING, so anything to help her body maintain its heat is always a home run.

(They look very gray here. Not sure why. They are actually the oatmeal color in the picture below.)

It was a very simple 1x1 rib knit. The pattern called for them to be 26 inches long. At first I thought that was ludicrous, but then I tried them on after they were knitted and realized the extra length that allowed you to cover your feet, too, was totally amazing and a must-have!

The book is Last-Minute Hand Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson. It's awesome!

(Psst...I got my copy on the bargain shelf at Barnes & Noble)

They were a little time consuming.

I didn't knit them very quickly, but they were worth every hour in the end.

I think Prissy wants a pair, too.

So warm and cozy on a dreary winter day.