I'm back,

Sorry about the wait for a new post. I am being completely consumed by school. This is my final week for my marketing class and i cant wait for it to be over. this has been one of the worst school experiences i think i have ever had. First my teacher not having a mic or a power point for class ( i take classes online), then her not actually reading my paper, then Saturday my small group project was due. They put 6 of us together and gave us a project to do. Normally this is a difficult task for a real world setting but it is almost impossible in an online school. Out of six we had four papers turned in, which sounds great but one of the papers didn't even mention the product we were supposed to be writing about then the other seemed to be copied. When we turn anything in to the school it is put in a data base to compare it against other students papers and published articles to ensure no one copies. A normal similarity score is anywhere from 0% to 11% one of the papers a group member turned in was a 69% similarity score. When she would not give us a reference for her information I refused to use her paper in the group assignment ( i was the group leader). This set me on a course of back and forth emails with her and another student "Gabe" who by the way was a complete god send. If not for Gabe i would not of been able to finish the paper. We pulled together and wrote what the other students would not.

I thought that was the end of my hair pulling, oh I was so wrong. We also had to turn in a small individual paper called a discussion board. part of our grade is to read other peoples discussion boards post and comment on them. I was reading one when i got a nasty surprise. We had to write about two things we had bought, one large purchase and one small. I wrote about my car and a ring tone for my cell phone. This classmate of mine wrote about an adult sex swing for her bedroom and a cleaner for her adult toys. I was shocked and disgusted. This was school not some frat party. I have filed complaints with the deans office and my instructor, I'm not sure how far that will go but now other students are calling me prudish and i seem to be getting attacked verbally a bit.

Needless to say I've been a bit stressed. I got my camera and memory card back so later this afternoon I'll be finally posting the pics of my finished Gilmore Girls shawl, My lasted swap package and who know, maybe a glimpse of a special gift I'm making for a friend. I'll talk to you all later today.
thanks for sticking with stressful little me.
best wishes and happy stitches.
Mandie

Update on Lion brand report

I'd first off like to thank Ilana for the comment on my last post. I would love to send the report to those of you at lion brand. I just hope that i did the company justice. We had to write a time line in the report and it was near impossible to find exact dates on some of the info so i did the time line in decades. Just let me know who and where to email it to and I'll do that asap.

Early this morning i got an email from my professor. She regraded my paper and gave me a 92% A. It's not the 100% I'd hoped for but I'll take it. She never said anything about why she had made this mistake or why she had not read the paper the first time. I would of liked to go into more depth about my devotion to Lion Brand but I'm limited to only a certain number of pages and almost a whole page was taken up by this time line that we had to do. I'm not a time line kinda person. I'd much prefer to tell you why i love something but i guess it is a marketing class and they want facts.

Well Ilana if you are serous about wanting to see the paper let me know and its yours. As for everyone else i hope you have a great holiday weekend and lots of great BBQ food. Don't forget all the great knitting you can do while sitting at a cookout.

best wishes and happy stitches
Mandie

I miss my camera.

I hate not being able to post pics on here. I know i dont like reading a blog without pics so i dont expect you to do it either. my aunt gave me my camera back but needed to keep my memory card so she could get her pics printed.
I am stressed beyond belief today. As you may know i am attending a online school. I have really enjoyed it until late last night. I spent six hours researching and writing what i thought was a "A" paper. this was for my marketing class and we had to write about a brand product that we are loyal to. I wrote about Lion brand yarn. My professor gave me a 88% B, now some wouldnt have a problem with that but i want to get on deans list and i cant do that with B's. In her comments my instructor said, " while your history about healthy choice deli foods was good you needed more details about why you are loyal to this brand". I wrote about yarn. I did mention that i am loyal to several product such as Mt. dew and healthy choice turkey breast but that was only in one sentence at the beginning of this three page paper. SHE DIDNT READ MY PAPER. How can she give me a B and not read my paper.
I told my sister that next time i should write an amazing first paragraph and then for the rest of the paper just type out an episode of oprah and see if she catches it. lol
I'm catching a cold so i'm sure that doesnt help the situation any.

On the knitting front. I started a handbag for a friend, I'm working ont he last glove for a friends fingerless gloves and numorous other projects. I need to figure out how to crochet some knitted squares together, that doesnt seem to be going so well for me. I'll get it sometime.

Well hopefully i can post pics again.
I hope everyone found something to fill their lives with on tuesday. I just enjoyed american idol and i will be replaceing that with so you think you can dance. I did just hear that they cancelled several of my favorite shows. here is my short list of what they tv people killed off.

the class
the weddingbells
the winner
the war at home
thank god your here
studio 60

I'm not real happy with what i read about new show for the fall line up. come on i cant even stand the caveman commercial and now they get there own show??? what next, i'm afraid to ask.

best wishes and happy stitches
mandie

b day got better

Hello folks.

As you may know i'm gettin on in my years and am now a 29 year old women. UGHHHHH, let me rephrase that one. I'm a 18yr old in a 29 yr olds body. Yeah!! i like that better.

Well my birthday really was starting to go down the toliet, no one was home so i sat and zoned out on law and order. I mean first my gilmore girls go away and then every one else does too. We ended up celebrating my birthday on sunday instead of friday. My son, his father (josh), my sister and her husband went to olive garden and then to see Shrek the Third oh and then to cold stone creamery. I had to have the peanut butter perfection but i got it with dark chocolate ice cream instead of milk. Now for someone who is extremly lactose intolerent you would think that i would stay away for a ice cream shop but i just think the cold stone is worth the pain. All in all it ended up being a pretty good birthday. I have a feeling to make next years a good one it's gonna take alot of tequila. lol

On the knitting front i just finished my gilmore girls shawl. My aunt borrowed my camera so i will have to post some pics as soon as i get it back.

best wishes and happy stitches

mandie

happy birthday to me

Yesterday was my 29Th birthday. It was not what i had expected. I guess I'm always waiting for some big deal birthday and it just never happens. As a mom i think we tend to put ourselves last and make sure everyone else gets what they want or need, i guess i was just wanting someone to do that for me on my birthday. On the up side, everyone was gone so i was able to sit and knit in peace. I guess i should be thankful for that.

I was knitting a pair of fingerless gloves when i was ready to bind off and found a critical error. I forgot to add the thumb. AHHHHHHHHH. I had put a pretty cable on the front so i had to rip it all out. I'm not so good at finding my place in a pattern when i frog them.

I'll post some pics soon. I'm off to my marketing class.
best wishes and happy stitches
Mandie

no luck

well i went to the blog today to see who had won the photo contest. It wasn't me. I do have to say that i enjoyed the pic who won but the second winner was a poem not a pic. Both did a wonderful job. Oh well.

So has everyone recovered from Tuesday night yet. I'm still amazed at what a wonderful job the writers did. I'm going to have to check out Gilmore girls. org and see what they had to say.

The dilemma on the table this week has been to home school my son or not. We are looking at home schooling or a school for gifted children about a half hour away. what to do??? we have alot of thinking to do before i make my final decision on this one.
wish me luck
Mandie

wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Do not read if you have not seen the last episode, i'll ruin it for you

I really don't know what else to say but wow. As i sit here wiping my eyes I'm trying to find the right words but that's all i can come up with.

For not knowing for sure if this would be the last episode i think they did a great job. Full circle ya know. Lore and Luke, Rory and her career, Emily and Richard taking the steps to stay in touch with lore. I just couldn't be happier. They really did the show justice. I kinda thought that Logan would show back up wanting Rory to take him back but i think she is better off without him. Ya know now that i think a bit i would of liked to see Rory end up with Jess, he is enough of a free spirit to be OK with the travel she will have to do for her work. well last i had heard they were dating in real life so at least i have that. lol.

Speaking of dating, Can you believe Luke put that tent together by himself. Now that is love & what about that line he said "i just want to see you happy". Oh i was crying when i heard that one. That was perfect, they didn't make a big deal out of that, the kiss or the necklace, It just seemed as if everything fell into place.

Now let me know what you think, I'm dying to hear.
thanks for staying with the show and stopping by to see me. Like i said i will still be here writing and knitting away as long as you show up. I've enjoyed all my time spent with the Gilmore Girls and I've learned alot from them. As a single mom myself Lore has been a inspiration to me. I just hope my son turns out with the drive that Rory has.

Best wishes and Happy stitches
Mandie


P.S
So much was happening during the show that i was only able to knit two rows of my Gilmore Girls Shawl. I will finish this thing but i will reserve myself to only knit on it during GG reruns.
I'm committed to this process what can i say.

one more day :(

Hello all,

I just thought i would drop by and remind all to watch tomorrow night to see the last Gilmore Girls EVER. I think we will all miss sitting back and watching our favorite girls every tuesday night. I guess now i have to make it a mission to get all the box sets. Friday is my birthday so maybe if i'm lucky i'll get another box set. I recieved the fourth season for christmas.

I'm posting a pic that i took to enter into a contest for a swap i'm in. I am taking part in a coffee/yarn swap and they are holding a contest to see who could take the best still life photo of coffee and yarn. I wanted to see what you folks thought of the pic i sent in for the contest.

I hope you all enjoy our last GG episode, I've read the spoilers and i'm not sure what i think just yet.

Best wishes and happy stitches

mandie

my 2 cents

I have taken a few days to let this episode sink in. I wasn't really sure if i liked where it was going. I personally think that Logan will make a final appeal to Rory in the last episode. I cant see them ending the show with out them being together. I dont think they will be engaged but i think they will be dating again. Logan needs her. I was not a big fan of the talk with Rory and lore in Rory's apartment. I think that being raised by a forever single mom Rory is just following moms example and feels its best to go it alone. Now please remember this is being written by a single mom so no hate mail please.

I think the best thing they could do is give us an "update" ending to the show. When they ended the show six feet under they gave us the best ending i think i have ever seen on TV before. They played a wonderful song and followed each of the main characters thru there lives. It really gave the show closure. You were able to see them get married have children and see there children's wed, and also they showed some of the characters deaths (that is what the show was about anyways). I would be soooo very happy if GG would do something like that. I'd love to see a future shot of Rory on her wedding day or at a big newspaper and Luke and lore together at the diner.

Oh well i guess it is only a wish right. We will all see on Tuesday.

best wishes and happy stitches
Mandie

Well...

She made the wrong decision. She should have said yes. What does she have to stay in New England for? I suppose the fact that she didn't spend the rest of the show devastated and depressed means she didn't really love him enough. But I stick to what I said. Wrong decision.

I think the series finale will be a huge let down. Doesn't look like too much excitement will happen. In addition to last week's disappointing episode maybe it is time that they let the show go. Ever since Lore called it off with Chris the show has been slow... mellow... boring. I guess I would rather say goodbye now, loving the show and always loving the show, then having several seasons of disappointment and coming to hate it However, if Rory were to say yes to Logan and move west it leads to a natural series finale.

Now that all of that is said... I teared up when Lore was clapping at the ceremony. Lauren Graham does a fabulous job of contorting her face when Lore is upset and trying not to show it. She always makes me tear up. I look forward to seeing her in Evan Almighty and I think I'll go through the IMdb.com and add some more of her movies to my NetFlix list.

Its really over :(

I'm sorry to bring you bad news today. It was announced that Gilmore Girls will not be back for a 8th season. You can read more info on www.gilmoregirls.org This was announced last week but I had not visited the site for a while so this mornings news was abit of a shocker for me. After reading the email from the gilmore girls.org founder i realized i too am faceing a decision. Do i keep my blog up and running. I have decided that i will, as long as there are people who want to visit, share there knitting projects and just talk about gilmore girls i'll be here. We now only have two more episodes left. Two more weeks to enjoy all that stars hollow has to offer.
I say let's make the best of it and enjoy them while we can. These last two episodes will be packed full of exciting things ( i wont spoil them for you) for us.

Again i'm sorry to bring you the bad news
i'll be back tonight to discuss the show
thanks
mandie

trying to find a pattern

Hello all,
I'm trying to find a pattern similar to this one. This was my fav sweater but it got felted. I love the neck line and how the sweater would hang. the cuff's used to hang a bit too. I guess they call this a ballerina top? i'm not 100% sure. The only ballerina top patterns i have found are wrap around, and that just wont work with my body type.
any help??
please let me know
thanks
mandie

sorry so late

I too was able to call last nights episode. I am having a hard time with the new writers. I know that they had some big shoes to fill but they must think we are stupid. I have given up on reading the spoilers, i don't need them. I think i can even tell you what is going to happen in next weeks show. I'll keep it to myself, but i think i know what is coming. Regardless of being able to see the future i still enjoyed the show. I like how they showed a calm Layne. She was so scared when she was preg. and just freaked out a few times. now they have showed her as a great mom and a very understanding and loving wife. speaking of babies, Dula is MIA... I love how TV shows can make a character disappear.

So Logan wants to marry Rory, hummmm!!!! I smell trouble. Now is when Chris is gonna reappear and Luke is soo gonna run into him. OK that's it no more predictions. sorry for that one. I did enjoy Rory's dream of the future and a bit of the past. I like Paris living in Rory's house, she has always ran to that house for comfort.

So recap. Layne's man is going on the road sans wife and baby, Rory now has an apartment in NY, Logan is moving to San Fran, Logan wants to marry Rory, lore is having a heart attack at the thought of Rory moving and getting married, Rory is going to graduate in next show, Luke has no April/ boat, and lore is singing love songs. OK I think i got it all. well now that i write it all I'm not sure if I really did like the episode. I think i like that it is Gilmore Girls, and it's new but as far as GG goes it was not my fav. I guess alot of nothing happened. strange how after writing about it my true feelings come out.

I'll stop babbling now. thanks all
Mandie

Watched GG with my Mommy

So my mom has never seen GG and is unfamiliar with all the complexities of the story line but she sat down and watched it with me last night while she was visiting from out of town.

When I heard about karaoke, I looked at my mom and said, watch, Lore is going to sing a cheesy love song and Luke will walk in. When Logan came to talk to Lore, I also looked at her and said, I bet Logan wants to drag her to like California or something. Even though I called these things, I still liked the episode.

I find myself constantly worrying about what is going to happen in Season 8 (if we do indeed get a season 8). I need to chill out and just watch the show :)

In knitting news, I have one button band finished on my Cardigan, Branching Out continues to progress. I haven't worked on the baby cardigans sleeves. I'm a bad girl.

some works in progress

here are some works in progress.

This will be felted soon. I just thought " how cute would a British flag be on a felted bag". I was right. the Jamaican flag is next.

I'm not sure if you all remember me telling you a few months back about my son's cousin who was murdered out in Wyoming. well his girlfriend is having his baby girl, she is due in July so now i have a reason to make something pink. I decided to make the baby tart hat from knitty.com. I may enter this in the calendar contest they are having.

Spring cleaning. All this mess on my bed is going to be donated to a local school that is having a rummage sale. This school is for mentally challenged children and all the money from the sale goes to funding new and existing programs for them.

well i'm sure i'll be back later tonight to post about our favorite girls. Talk to you all soon

mandie