Package Update

So I've done a fairly good job keeping up with at least one of this year's goals. I've sent one package a month to the soldier for the months that he has been deployed. Mind you, November marks only the 4th month.

The first package made it into his hands in just one week! I was totally excited about this, especially looking forward to baking season. Except the 2nd package went out on September 30th (I was running late) and the 3rd package went out on October 18th and he STILL hasn't received EITHER ONE! I can't even begin to tell you how annoyed I am by this. I had planned to start baking this month since it's colder but I can't have cookies and brownies sitting in some mail storage container for over a month! I'm going to have to skip Thanksgiving and send a Christmas package out next month in hopes it gets there in time.

/rant

First package received

I got an email from the soldier today that the first care package I sent just one week ago has been received. That's pretty exciting!

What is not exciting is the fact that his email didn't include the words "thank you". I mean, I wasn't expecting gushing, but a thank you would have been nice. Maybe it's the fact that I'm sick, but I find this really annoying. It's actually a pattern with him. I wonder if it's just with me or if he never says thank you.

Anyway, right now with my difficulty breathing and my stomach that won't stop churning and my headache and lack of sleep I'm reconsidering the whole notion of sending him boxes full of stuff every month. Right now with all that I'm think I can find a better way to spend $60 a month. Right now I'm thinking a facial or a purse or really anything for myself once a month seems like a better way to spend my money.

Or maybe I'm just bitter.

I Am Going to Hurt Somebody

You've heard me go on and on about how I hate knitting because the scarf I've been so lovingly knitting for the soldier is such a pain in my ass, right? You know I've been working on the damn thing since Christmas, right? You know how I've put in almost 40 hours of work-time on it, right?

It's in acrylic. Acrylic that is pretty and soft and masculine without being boring. It's got great drape and feels amazing.

Acrylic melts. Acrylic melts if you, say, drive over an IED in a war zone. If that should happen to a soldier while he/she was wearing an acrylic scarf, said scarf would MELT INTO THE SOLDIER'S SKIN. Therefore, the Army highly recommends that soldiers only wear wool knitted items. 100% wool.

While I'm going to hope that the soldier does not, in fact, drive over ANOTHER IED (he was injured that way in Iraq), I don't think it's wise to finish this stupid ass annoying frustrating stealing-days-of-my-life scarf.

To make matters worse- you may remember that my desperate need for affirmation drove me to show virtually EVERY man in my life this damn scarf. Everyone knows I was making it for the soldier. I can't gift it to someone else.

I am SO frustrated. Stay away- I may stab you with my frustratingly tiny size 8 knitting needles.

Soldier Revisited

I started knitting that blasted soldier scarf right around Christmas. I keep putting it down because I HATE knitting. That's right... hate it. I'm sure I did this to myself. Stupid thin yarn & tiny little size 8 needles. How was I supposed to know it would be so tedious? This was a horrible first knitting project. With every stitch I just think how much faster I could crochet it.

I don't even know when I last worked on it. In fact, I've stopped carrying it around and actually am not entirely sure where it is at the moment. Probably in my project tote in the car. It's meant to be a Christmas present, so I suppose it's not horrible that I'm not currently working on it, but still. I need to finish.

I'm thinking about it now because the soldier is in town this weekend. Woot! When he makes quick trips I don't generally try to see him because naturally his family and close friends want to spend time with him, too. But it sounds like he thinks he might be able to sneak away sometime this weekend & maybe we'll get to catch dinner or something. It'll be difficult since I'll be working, but I'm basically at-the-ready should he say he's suddenly free.

He'll be on block-leave mid-June for several weeks... then it's off on another deployment. I hate it because I worry about him. He managed to kind of pretend Iraq wasn't that dangerous. He basically totally lied to me about what he did, making it seem very calm & safe. Since being back he's revealed the really ridiculously dangerous crap he does, I guess because I don't have to worry since he's home. Oh, yeah, except he's now headed to Afghanistan, which is MORE dangerous. Awesome. Still, even with all that worry I am kind of excited about the letter-writing. It's fun and totally a lost art. I've purchased cute stationary. There are random things I've collected to send in his monthly packages strewn around my house. I've found recipes that look like they might withstand the trip over there. I'm ready... sort of. :)

Knitting 101

I first decided to learn to knit about a year ago after seeing a review on Lunch.com that linked to a pretty good instructional video. Later, my cousin happened to pick up some needles for me at a sale and it seemed like it was really time to learn. After a few practice runs and some spying on experienced knitters from afar, I figured out a kind of corduroy, knit two purl two, super easy pattern.

In my mini-research for Soldier's future care packages I realized Afghanistan is mountainous and pretty darn cold in the winter. This is probably very naive of me, but I thought it was a hot desert- like Palm Springs, not an all seasons desert- like our "high desert" area. Doh. Anyway, I picked up a couple balls of manly looking yarn and started knitting right around Christmas. Here's the progress so far:


a little less than a third of the finished length I think


not the best picture, but it shows the pattern a bit better



I really love the yarn. It's primarily black but naturally strips; alternating between a little silver/grey and a little purple. Manly but not drab. The Soldier is, well, a soldier... so he's pretty darn manly, but he's not adverse to wearing a pastel tie when the occassion calls for it- so I think the little bit of color is good.

It's slow-going since I'm still a newbie. Good thing he won't need it until next winter... that should be about when it's done!