Tonight was the Baltimore Spinners group at my LYS. What a great night and a great group of spinners. I love learning from you all…. and yes… me and the long draw are trying to come to terms with each other.

I am pleased to announce that CLOVERHILL YARNS is carrying C*EYE*BER FIBER Sock and Roving. I dropped of 20 skeins tonight (including a Cloverhill signature) and 11- 4oz bundles of fiber. Go check them out of you are local.

PIF is in motion…. some have found their merry way to their intended recipients…. if you got one… go map yourself and start thinking of your intended (s)….

Pictures of spinning tomorrow… promise! Maybe zoo pictures too…

Oh! 4 open spaces in the Fall Sock Club….

do you think it took the cowboy to figure out that “underwears” make a great hat?

5 days of potty training!

Must be a boy thing?……

When I was in high school…. I rode the bus. My brother drove or was driven by a friend… but I rode the big yellow dork machine. My brother, by the way, was older and far cooler than his little sister.

The school I went to was fairly affluent…. my family was not… but the school was a regional school that served some very high rent districts. I generally went to school to smoke in the bathroom and attend my art classes. Never really feeling like I fit in with one particular group… well… maybe the girls who smoked in the bathroom in lieu of eating lunch. (FYI: I have since quit smoking). I kind of always felt out of place… like the kid on scholarship.
Sometimes, I still feel like I am the scholarship kid.

I was running late this morning… the cowboy got up early and I went to bed late the night before… so I had no time to get ready for the day. Quick…hair in pigtails and out the door.

I had an orthodontist appointment this morning… enough said. Adult orthodontia is no laughing matter. So the image you should be getting is… BRACES, hair in pigtails… denim skirt and linen kaftan shirt. Oh boy….

I made a pedicure appointment at the RED DOOR SPA last week knowing that it is difficult to accomplish much after my ortho guy does anything to my dentition. So off I go to my appointment in the ritzy outdoor shopping venue that is reminiscent of the outdoor malls in California. You know… the ones with boutiques instead of stores? Yeah, that one.

Boy, did I get the looks. Every shop that I walked in to I was greeted with the WTF??! look.

And… funny that… I didn’t care. I went to get the best damn pedicure that I have ever had… met some really nice people in the chairs near me… and cashed in one some precious time that I did not have to think about potty stuff. (THANK GOD! He is doing great… but I am so damn tired!)

Thanks to my wonderful D. for a gift certificate for Mother’s Day. I had enough left over to subsidize next month’s visit. ( I even got to cash in my Victoria’s Secret Gift Card from Valentine’s Day)….

I like pigtails…. I tolerate my braces… and I just don’t give a damn anymore about feeling out of place. So… that club that I always felt like I didn’t belong to? Yeah, I renamed it.

It’s the Rat’s Ass Club. Meaning, I don’t give a rat’s ass about stuff that doesn’t matter.

There are many, many memberships in my club. We are always welcoming new members. Wanna join?

Ok guys! I have 12 PIF’s in route….. you may be getting one!

I have sent mine to folks who I have been inspired by…. supported by… or just think are nifty. I would ask them…. only if they can… to think about someone ( or ones) who they feel the love from and to pass on the goodness.

Small tokens of affection are wonderful surprises and can be a relief from the everyday stresses (and HEAT!).
Here is the PIF Button:

If you give or receive a PAY IT FORWARD giftie…. go map yourself… I want to see how far we can cast the net!

Ready, set? PAY IT FORWARD!

(OK…just a quick note about the cruise…. DID YOU SEE the corporate sponsors?????)

So… I have little attention for much more than dyeing yarn right now… I am in the throws of some big orders and am psyched… but a little harried. Couple that with a trip to Florida next week for business (for D.)…. oh boy…

Little knitting is going on here.

But… my hands need to keep busy between trips to the potty with the cowboy… (BTW… thanks for the suggestions… he is doing great!)

Here is my latest obsession….

Little earring gifties…. for me and some of my girlies….

Stitch markers for my friend Midge… see… I did not forget you!

So there is the goods….

I think some of these may be on their way to

I created a FRAPPR map to see the ripples in the proverbial waters of cyber space…. (thanks to Carole for the comment that sparked the idea!)
Thanks to Jen (AGAIN!) for the button!

Nite all!

Thanks to everyone for your feedback (and enthsiasm) on this idea inspired by my friend Amie’s kindness….

If you are interested in this idea becoming more formal ( a ring or swap) leave me a comment.
Weekend Update: 

Things here at Chez’ Cowboy have been all potty all weekend. I have not really seen much other than the cowboy’s bum-bum and the inside of a bathroom all weekend.

We are making great strides and the effort is so worth it. We are using a lot of positive reinforcement and a 45 minute sit schedule… I will keep you posted. ( I know you are all on the edge of your seats!) If any of you Mamas that have done this have any suggestions… I am all ears!

When you are wrong, you’re wrong:
I wrote a politically - oriented post (that has since been deleted) on Friday regarding the recent extension to the Voting Rights Act.

Looks like mama jumped the gun on some things.

Here is a thoughtful email I received regarding the post (thanks S!) :

Your post on the Voting Rights Act got me thinking also, and then I
did a little Googling to refresh my memory, because I thought its
purpose was to protect already-existing rights.  In short, whether or
not the Act was extended, African-Americans (and other minority
citizens) would all still have the right to vote under the 15th
Amendment to the Constitution.  What the Act does is protect that
right against practices that were attempts to get around the
constitutional rights guaranteed by the 15th amendment, such as
requiring literacy tests.  Unfortunately, there are places and cases
in recent years where the Voting Rights Act has been necessary to
ensure that everybody gets a fair opportunity to vote.  The 25 years’
extension refers to very specific issues in very specific states and
municipalities where there is a history of discrimination against
minority voters.

The link below had an explanation as well as some other useful links:

http://www.fairvote.org/?page=828

Anyway, it IS incredible that such protections are still necessary
and in general its an issue well worth getting angry about when it is
still such an uphill battle in many places to ensure everyone’s right
to vote.

So, I being someone who firmly believes in being flawed, admit I jumped the gun. Thanks! Maybe that is why I stay away from posting about the political.

Happy Monday Folks!