Posts Tagged ‘Wal-Mart’
I finished this knitting project last night for my mom. She asked if I would make her a bunch of kitchen dishcloths, which made me really excited. (Maybe she’s just humoring me, LOL!) They’re incredibly fast and easy. Sometime I’d like to try a tip that my friend Marilyn recently told me about. Wal-Mart’s craft department sells this threadlike stuff ~ it’s intended for a ballerina tutu or a wedding gown, to make the material somewhat pouffy. (I’d never heard of it before, but Marilyn bought some that’s green and said that there are different colors.) She holds this thread along with her yarn when she’s knitting a dishcloth, and it makes the dishcloth very scrubby. I felt one of her dishcloths, and it was like an exfoliant! Perfect for scrubbing dried grime off dishes (and probably lots of other household uses). I’m going to find some of that stuff the next time I’m there. One of my next knitting projects will be an Indiana dishcloth, and I’m very excited about that!
I miss crafting. It’s difficult to do while taking care of two small children. But not too long ago, I started thinking about something my friend Carol told me ~ that knitting doesn’t require pulling out a lot of supplies and that it’s something you can do while watching TV, hanging out with your family, waiting for appointments, etc. And there are *so* many bloggers out there who knit. Originally, though, I dismissed knitting because I didn’t think that I had time to learn something new ~ and I figured that I probably wouldn’t be too good at it (or patient enough). But a week or so ago, I started thinking about knitting more and more.
Saturday, I ran over to Wal-Mart to buy some new needles for our sewing machine (because crazily enough, I broke *three* of them while trying to sew a simple baby blanket!). I found some, then turned around ~ and guess what was behind me? Knitting supplies. Oh, the yarn! I found myself just staring at everything for the longest time ~ such beautiful colors! It was like looking at the various fabrics in the craft department ~ drooling over what I can possibly sew.
I’d heard several knitting friends mention Peaches & Cream yarn, so I checked that out. A color called “Earth Tone” caught my eye. But I thought, “I know absolutely *nothing* about this. I shouldn’t even look.” The yarn was so inexpensive, though! Then, I found myself walking over to the knitting needles. I saw some royal blue ones ~ size five, whatever that means! I said, “What the heck!” and took everything up to the checkout. But I felt such a twinge of excitement!
It kind of reminds me of my grandpa ~ he used to weave *gorgeous* handmade throws with acrylic yarn on his own handcrafted loom in his basement. And I remembered that a long time ago, my mom taught me how to knit ~ but I don’t remember a whole lot, and now I wish that I’d paid more attention! Anyway, I’m now the owner of a pair of blue size five knitting needles and two balls (uh, “skeins,” right?) of yarn. Last night, I managed to figure out how to do the long-tail cast on, but I can’t seem to get the first row started. It’s hard to even stick the right needle into the top stitch ~ way too tight. I know that ultimately, all of your stitches end up on the other needle ~ but that’s the point where I’m stuck. :( I’ve been checking out the website KnittingHelp.com.
Tomorrow, I’m heading over to Carol’s because she has graciously offered to help me get started. I can’t tell you how psyched I am to be starting a new craft! Maybe I could make some pretty washcloths to accompany my handmade soaps. Yay ~ I get to make things again! :)
When I walked into Wal-Mart this morning with Lucas and Meredith, an older lady looked at us and frowned. “That little boy needs a coat!” she said, in quite a nasty tone. Then, she sighed in disbelief and shook her head at me. It was one of those, “Geez, some parents just don’t know what they’re doing” kind of looks. Well … you know what, lady? I just dealt with a five minute-long screaming tantrum in the parking lot because our toddler didn’t want to put on his coat. So finally, I just stuck his raincoat into our shopping cart and said, “OK, Lucas … it’s your choice. But when you feel how chilly and rainy it is outside, you’ll understand why it’s necessary to wear a coat on a day like today.” It was 60 degrees and rainy this morning. I wanted him to experience it firsthand. You know, I *really* wish that some people would refrain from making comments such as those when they have *no* idea what the situation is. I’d like to see her deal with a screaming toddler sometime! Maybe her kids are grown now and she has just forgotten what it can be like at times.
Sorry … I have PMS and don’t feel like taking any crap from anyone. Maybe I need one of those magnetic bracelet thingies that will help relieve my stress, LOL! :) The bright side of today is that I enjoyed a yummy pumpkin-spice latte from Starbucks and got quite a few things done so far: grocery shopping, getting gas, putting in a few loads of laundry, and preparing things for Lucas’s preschool field trip tomorrow. The rest of today will be spent working on my current freelance project.
Perhaps I should have purchased some Midol at the grocery store! LOL! :)
Tomorrow is Shannon’s birthday. (I won’t tell you how old she’s turning this year, but here’s a hint: she probably needs some wrinkle cream! LOL!) Oh, and when I turned the page of my “365 Amazing Trivia Facts” desk calendar this morning, I saw the trivia question for July 12th. It’s extremely appropriate and fitting for Miss Shannon: “When it comes to courtroom acronyms, what is ‘PINS’?” (The answer? “Person in Need of Supervision.”) :D
Ahh, just kidding, of course. (I know that she’ll appreciate those jokes!) She’s one of my very best friends. We met in high school when I was a freshman and she was a sophomore. We were on the newspaper staff together, and we hung out a lot. I miss living close to her and being able to get together on a regular basis. I am so grateful to have her in my life. (And who knows ~ maybe our daughters will become best friends someday, too!) Hope you have an awesomely happy birthday tomorrow, dear friend! Thinking of you on your special day! (And please, if you get a chance tomorrow, stop by her blog and wish her well!)
We made a trip to Wal-Mart and Price Chopper this morning. On the way out of the grocery store, Lucas and Meredith waved to one of the guys who was bringing in shopping carts. It really made him smile, and he said, “Pardon me … I hope that you don’t mind me asking, but … how old are your children?” I said, “Lucas turned three in March, and Meredith is 20 months old.” He shook his head in disbelief and said, “That’s just fantastic ~ them waving like that. They sure have manners. And that’s something that you don’t see much with most kids these days.” Wow ~ talk about making me feel wonderful! Manners are extremely important to me, and I want to instill that value in our children, too. One thing that I noticed right away about Jeff when we met for the very first time was how polite he was. :) That guy’s comment this morning made me feel so proud.
Let’s see … we’re heading over to our town’s farmers’ market late this afternoon, then we’ll pick up our weekly CSA share. And it’s homemade pizza night (Lucas requested pepperoni!). We also have a Netflix movie to watch this weekend (see the nifty sidebar widget that I just installed!). Other than that, I’m not sure what’s on tap for our weekend. I’d like to get my hair cut, but I just really can’t take Lucas and Meredith with me. Believe it or not, I’d kind of like to get my hair cut like Martha Stewart’s! (Do you think that style would look good on me?)
“You never see it coming when the world caves in on you
On your town, nothing you can do
Main Street isn’t Main Street anymore ~
Lights don’t shine as brightly as they shone before
But it’s our town, love it anyway
Come what may, it’s our town …”
~”Our Town,” written by Randy Newman
I talked with my mom on the phone yesterday afternoon, and she said that living in my hometown is much like a “war zone” at the moment. As I posted before, Columbus, IN, has been devastated by severe flooding. (For those of you who don’t know, Columbus is about an hour south of Indianapolis, about an hour north of Louisville, KY, and just 45 minutes from Bloomington, the home of Indiana University.) During our phone conversation, my mom saw a few helicopters zooming past overhead ~ more than likely picking up patients with serious medical emergencies and taking them to nearby hospitals for treatment. (Columbus’s hospital is still closed, with flood damage now estimated at $125 million.) The only place where Columbus residents can go for medical issues right now is the PromptMed on 25th Street.
Shannon and I were talking about how weird it is to see our hometown splashed all over the news ~ and how removed we feel from the situation, with us both living so far away. I wish that we could do more to help. If I still lived there (or even nearby), I’d definitely be volunteering in any way that I possibly could. I think about how horrible Hurricane Katrina was, and now we’ve really caught a glimpse of what it’s like to see our hometown completely under water. Jeff and I are planning a family trip out to Indiana next month, and I’m curious to see how everything will look by then. My mom said that officials are estimating three years in order to get things back to some semblance of how they were before.
Well, this blog entry is kind of difficult to write, because I’m not one for asking for help. When our children were born and my mom was here visiting ~ helping us with so many things including laundry, dishes, preparing meals, and cleaning ~ it felt kind of strange because I’m usually the one taking care of everything. I’m such a “do it myself” kind of person. But … after seeing pictures of my flooded hometown and hearing stories about the extensive water damage, I’m moved to help out in any way that I possibly can from a distance ~ and to ask for help from others who might be willing.
Here’s a personal story. One of my high school friends recently e-mailed me and said that she’s seeking donations for a Columbus couple who is expecting twin girls this September. They also have a five-year-old daughter and have suffered two miscarriages. This husband and wife have pretty much lost everything because of the flood. Just a few months before delivery, they’re trying to figure out where they’ll live and how to furnish their new home. My friend Kelly said, “Let’s help them not worry about the baby stuff. One gift won’t change much, but all of us giving will help two stressed-out parents welcome two babies into a better world.” We’re mailing them a check, and even though I wish that we could give more, hopefully it’ll help them in some way. If you’d like to consider helping, too, Kelly tells me that they’re registered at Target, Kmart, and Wal-Mart (under the names Scott and LaShaunda Brown). But above all, any prayers and/or best wishes that you could send their way would be much appreciated.
If you’re interested in making a monetary donation to help the people of Columbus, IN who have been affected by this recent flooding, here is some information:
- American Red Cross: for emergency relief efforts. Checks should be made payable to “Red Cross” and mailed to 931 Repp Dr., Columbus, IN 47201. For more information, you can contact them by phone at 812.379.9551.
- Heritage Fund of Bartholomew County: donations to be allocated to area not-for-profit agencies. Checks should be made payable to “Community Disaster Relief Fund” and mailed to 538 Franklin St., Columbus, IN 47201. For more information, you can contact them by phone at 812.376.7772.
- Columbus Regional Hospital: an established fund to assist the hospital with efforts to restore full services. Checks should be made payable to “Columbus Regional Hospital Foundation” with the words “Flood Recovery Fund” designated on the memo line and mailed to 2400 E. 17th St., Columbus, IN 47201. For more information, you can visit the hospital’s donation website.
- The Salvation Army: (Thank you, Adelle, for adding this one to the list!) Columbus’s location is 2525 Illinois St., Columbus, IN 47201. You can mail a check there (mentioning Columbus flood victims in your check’s memo line) or go online to find ways to help. For more information, please call the Columbus office at 812.372.7118 or the national number at 1.800.SAL.ARMY.
- There’s also PayPal. If you have a PayPal account and happen to have a few extra bucks in there right now ~ whether it’s $1, $5, or some other amount ~ I know that a contribution for Columbus would be more than appreciated. You can send a PayPal payment to me at lvjensen@alumni.indiana.edu, but just make sure to specify in the comments/notes section that the money is for Columbus flood victims. I will gather all of those donations and pass them along directly to Columbus, IN, for flood assistance.
For everyone who makes a donation (in any form) to help the people in my hometown who have been affected by this awful flooding, I will send you a handwritten thank-you note along with some handcrafted bath and body goodies (made by me). I’m not sure what those items will entail yet, but I’ll have to take summer temperatures into consideration (very hard on glycerin soaps!). I’m sure that some bath salts, bath fizzies, etc. will be involved. All you need to do is send me your mailing address, and I’ll get some fun bath items to you as soon as possible (along with my sincere appreciation).
Thank you, everyone, so very much for reading this blog entry and for holding good thoughts for the people in my hometown whose lives have unfortunately been affected by this severe flooding.
