Finding the GOOD

As I type this, I am watching a press conference about events taking place in Ferguson, Missouri.  Ferguson is a suburb and part of St. Louis County.  I live in that county.  I am a proud citizen of St. Louis.  The current events are making me sad.  I won't discuss them and debate the issues.  But this sadness has spilled over to so many places.  Including the online community.  So, to fight the negative, I decided to search for good things today.  Things that made me smile.  Or made me happy.  Or things that brought a smile to someone else.

Please take a moment and click on one of the links.  You could end up pleasantly surprised.  I don't get paid for these delightful blogs and don't necessarily have any real connection to any of the people or things mentioned here today.  Just wanted to share.

Let's start with this print by St. Louis artist, Mary Engelbreit.  
You can find her online in a variety of places... 

including her website, eBay, Pinterest and Facebook.  Her art is super cute, inspiring, fun and sure to bring a smile to your life.

The things I found today are totally random - like me!  If I saw and liked, you're gonna see it here.  Work with me, people.  This Pool Girl has a rain day and can't swim and must entertain herself.  You are just lucky to be along for the ride!

We all have jeans that no longer fit or have seen better days.  Let's re-purpose them!  Details at Denim Patch Organizer

I love rubber stamps.  And I love crochet.  I'm a bit on the fence about granny squares though.  BUT if you turn one into a stamp, count me in!!! See this on Facebook here: Hoffee and a Nuffin

And a little more crochet.  I was looking around on Pinterest and saw a pin from Spider Mambo.  I hadn't seen this great pattern before today.  Whooo hooo!  It's free too!  Go like the Facebook page or head to Ravelry and take a look at some amazing stuff.  See the pattern on Pinterest

I'm hungry.  Do I want salty?  Or sweet?

I'll do both with these Caramel Salty Pretzel Superbars

And more yarny stuffs.  This is from Bev's Country Cottage Shop:

"After many months of surveying, typing, printing and adjusting, I created this purse sized booklet of patterns from my website, BevsCountryCottage.com, for our humanitarian booth at the Clark Cty NV Fair as a handout for those who can attend.. 

This handy, 12 page booklet contains 20 reader favorite patterns (knitting, crocheting and loom knitting) along with photos of each project; Bev's size charts for making hats, and blankets, needle/hook conversion chart, and several charities to help are also included."

Visit Craftsy to purchase this e-booklet.

Yes, today was a yuck day.  The weather was ugly, the posters on Facebook all seemed to have forgotten their happy pills and the news brought a crapfest.  Yet, I was able to find things that were fun, interesting and worth learning about.  Do yourself a favor.  Lighten up!  Even on the dark days, we can find some spots of sunshine.

I'm A Regular Joe and I Like My Joe Regular

"The global spread of coffee growing and drinking began in the Horn of Africa, where, according to legend, coffee trees originated in the Ethiopian province of Kaffa. It is recorded that the fruit of the plant, known as coffee cherries, was eaten by slaves taken from present day Sudan into Yemen and Arabia through the great port of its day, Mocha. Coffee was certainly being cultivated in Yemen by the 15th century and probably much earlier. In an attempt to prevent its cultivation elsewhere, the Arabs imposed a ban on the export of fertile coffee beans, a restriction that was eventually circumvented in 1616 by the Dutch, who brought live coffee plants back to the Netherlands to be grown in greenhouses.

The first literary reference to coffee being drunk in North America is from 1668 and, soon after, coffee houses were established in New York, Philadelphia, Boston and other towns. The Boston Tea Party Of 1773 was planned in a coffee house, the Green Dragon. Both the New York Stock Exchange and the Bank of New York started in coffeehouses in what is today known as Wall Street.

For US coffee drinkers, the country’s wettest city, Seattle, has become synonymous with a new type of café culture, which, from its birth in the 1970s, swept the continent, dramatically improving the general quality of the beverage. This new found 'evangelism' for coffee has spread to the rest of the world, even to countries with great coffee traditions of their own, such as Italy, Germany, and Scandinavia, adding new converts to the pleasures of good coffee. Today it is possible to find good coffee in every major city of the world, from London to Sydney to Tokyo; we are drinking more and, more importantly, better coffee."

- See more at: http://www.ico.org/coffee_story.asp#sthash.MH2rR2WL.dpuf

One thing I love about coffee from a cafe is the latte art.  It's amazing!!  I am always so surprised by just how creative people are.  And who dreams up this stuff?  When did someone decide that making a cool design with coffee foam would be fun?

These photos are from just basic Googling.  Enjoy!

And, just for fun, how about a recipe for Espresso Brownies??
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/espresso-brownies-recipe.html

Coffee Recipes from FOLGERS

Utter Frustration

Warning.  This post isn't funny.  It's just plain honest.  I am super frustrated.  Fed up.  And I want to share something with you, dear reader, and hopefully you can prevent such foolishness from happening in your little world.

Back in May, my dad broke his pelvis.  He fell at the nursing home.  Long story short, he went to the hospital via an ambulance.  He was seen and it was determined that the fracture was minor, would heal on its own and that he could return to the home and rest and take it easy.

An ambulance was called to transfer him from the hospital to the nursing home.  We got him settled in his room with orders to spend a couple days in bed.  He needed assistance with bathrooming, etc.  He had been given a prescription for pain medication at the hospital.  The nursing home received this order at 6:00 pm but I had to fight for four hours to get the bastards to give him the meds.  He got one dose of a pain reliever at 10:30 that night.  My sister and I left him in the care of the home and thought all was well.

We went to see Dad the next day. And we were shocked and concerned.  He was in a bit of pain but his breathing was terrible.  And he was so, so confused.  I suspected he had too much pain medication.  In talking to the nurse, I found that no, he hadn't.  He was given one dose and it had long since worn off.  As our visit went on, I become more concerned.  I finally called my dad's doctor and he said we needed to take him back to the emergency room.  We called another ambulance and made the trip.  He was seen and again, the pelvis fracture was deemed fine and the actual problems were of a different nature.

Dad spent twelve long days in the hospital.  He was found to have a lot of fluid building up around his heart, got new meds for that, was monitored and seen by his cardiologist.  He was also seen my the lung doc and ended up on oxygen 24/7.  Hospitals love to annoy patients so poor Daddy had to endure physical and occupational therapy.  He was given breathing treatments 'round the clock.  Finally, the staff determined that the had twelve serious conditions and none were directly related to the pelvic fracture or the lung cancer which is basically in remission.  A lot more went on during this time but I won't bore you.

Finally, he was released and went back to the nursing home.  Fast forward to now.  My sister and I are receiving bills for our father's medical treatments.  Remember that non-displaced, minor pelvic fracture?  The same one that let him be released from the ER the first night?  The same one that healed on its own and required no follow-up?  Well, the orthopedic surgeon who saw him in the hospital seems to want $1100 for his services.  My dad would NEVER have seen this guy had he not be admitted for things NOT related to the pelvic break.

My dad was also seen by the radiation oncologist.  The same one he was no longer seeing because there were no further treatments needed.  That doctor has also charged for his services.  He even was kind enough to leave his business card so I knew he'd been by.  My dad had NO REASON to be seen by anyone from oncology.

During the twelve-day stay, my dad was also never seen by anyone from his primary care physician's office.  Not one single visit.  He was managed by the hospital physicians who knew nothing of his history and caused more problems.  But given that my dad never saw his own doctor, why would he have been told to follow up with him after his release?  Screw that.  Just a ploy for another bill.

The $1100 bill is the one that has me saying 

 How dare they?  My dad had NO need for any ortho visits.  Had he not had congestive heart failure issues, he wouldn't have been in the hospital to be seen anyway.  Grrrrrr.  This is just not right.  Please don't ever believe the medical profession has your best interests at heart.  It's money.  Nothing but money.  Profits.  You are not a person, you are a vacation or house payment.

Does this story upset you?  Make you want to scrutinize your own hospital bill for asinine charges?  Tell me YOUR story!

Sorry this post was not fun.  I'm too irritated and fed up to make you laugh today.  But tune in tomorrow.  Same bat time and same bat channel.

Meanwhile, please stay healthy!!!  You can't afford not to.

I Owe it All to a Crazy Ninja Hooker

I belong to a great crochet group on Facebook. Tons of members, lots of fun. Occasionally though, someone must tread down the path of dramadom. Okay, it happens A LOT in there. And honestly, I enjoy a bit of drama when it's not based on my life. I pop some corn, sit back and watch the fireworks. Admit it. You do it too. You know you do. I know you do. You know I know you know I do. And you know I know....ah, forget it.  (rinse and repeat) 

There are days though, when the drama is too much.  Or when someone just has to comment on something you've posted and you are NOT in the mood.  Not saying that you don't have a right to comment or a right to your opinion, even if you are 100% stupid and wrong.

I have had some rough days lately with personal dramas.  Way too much sadness, illness, loss and just a crapfest of annoyances.  And I, like most people, enjoy venting.  But there's always that one asshat who simple MUST comment and give some annoying platitude or suggestion.  You know, the one where you just want to tell them to kindly eff off.  But mama raised you better than that.  I tell them to Get Off My Lawn.

This phrase comes to us from Jacqualyn Walker, owner of The Crafty Geekette.  She is ten shades of awesome with a dash of the ability to be a bitchy, yet articulate, voice of reason.  She created "The Ninja Hooker" for us.  We post it in the group when someone is going all drama-tastic.  When she added the "Get Off My Lawn" phrase to the little ninja, I thought I died and went to heaven. 

I loved the phrase so much, I bought a tee shirt Jacqualyn designed.  I also post several Get Off My Lawn memes on a regular basis on my Facebook wall.  There are just days, kids.  Nothing else will do.  Or I should say nothing else is socially acceptable to utter on my wall.

You can find Jacqualyn's stuff here:  Crafty Geekette Stuffs

And, and, AND she also designed a crochet pattern to make your own adorable ninja.  Her Ravelry Patterns

NOTE 9/3/14 - Keep your eyes on The Crafty Geekette.  This girl is going big places.  I am so pleased for her and know she will do the craft/crochet world proud.  Jacqualyn, you rock!!

There are days we all need to let off steam.  I figure saying this phrase is fairly innocuous and people get the point.

I have noticed, however, when I wear the tee shirt, I get some strange looks.  Or perhaps I get them anyway!!  But when I'm wearing my cute pink shirt with my funny little ninja, all is right in MY world and I give off the perfect air of bitchyness without even opening my mouth.

So, do you have people who make your day just a little bit  better just because you know them and they touch your life even from a virtual angle?  Tell me about them!  

If you do all that fun Pinterest stuff, you can find me on there, pinning the pins that must be pinned.  Click my little button in the margin and you can follow me.  I mean follow on Pinterest.  Not in real life.  That would be weird.  And all stalkeryish.  And then I would have to tell you to 

#TheCraftyGeekette #crochet #laurapoolgirlblog #GetOffMyLawn

The Bitch Post

There are days when you just can't win.  You spill the entire can of coffee before you make it to the coffee maker.  Your dog steals your shoe.  You can't figure out Pinterest.

I've been stuck in that Craptastic Day for about a year now.  And today, I think I hate everybody and everything.  I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired.

I want to scream and throw things and slap people.  And for some reason, that's not considered socially acceptable.  Know what?  I don't effing care!  WHAPPO!!

I'm tired hearing about weddings and babies and parties and vacations and fun.  My life is not fun right now.  I feel like I'm failing everyone.

I want to run naked and screaming down my street.  I want to sit on my front porch and just holler until I have no voice.  But again, the frigging neighbors frown on this stuff.  Don't ask how I know.  I just does, okay?

Tune in tomorrow, faithful reader.  Things will be better.  I promise!  Oh, did I mention that my satellite dish isn't working and I'm forced to watch whatever channels decide to come in?  Currently, we are doing a marathon of Murder, She Wrote.  I also hate Jessica Fletcher in case you were wondering...

Meet One of My Favorite Designers and Friends

Howdy.  Happy Friday.  Of course, I'm assuming you're reading this on Friday.  But happy whatever day you happen to land here.

I haven't done a lot of blogging about crochet and my love for it.  So, I shall remedy that right now.  And you'll learn why I can't type the word "pink" without having to go back and correct it.  Every.  Single.  Time.

I'd like to introduce you to my friend, Jennifer Middleton Pionk.  Note that last name.  THAT is why I can no longer spell pink without adding an o. (umm, not that kind of O you freak)  Jennifer joined a Facebook crochet group I was in.  When a friend added her, I was less than pleased.  I had seen a few of Jennifer's designs and while they were great, I figured she would be a snob.  Much to my surprise, she's NOT.  She is totally down-to-earth, fun, creative and a true friend.

I have had the pleasure to watch her business grow and expand on Facebook. Her page is A Crocheted Simplicity and you really should visit her.  Go ahead, I'll wait.  (Cue Jeopardy music)

I probably got to know Jennifer best when I was struggling with one of her patterns.  Mind you, the fault was entirely mine.  She painstakingly walked me through the areas where I was struggling.  She sent me photos to show just what she meant.  I honestly have no idea why I had such a rough time. The pattern couldn't have been easier.  In fact, I made and sold several hats.

 

The "crochet world" has taken a turn lately.  There are people who don't understand what goes into creating a pattern.  And the time spent writing it out.  Then it must be tested.  And tested again.  There are so many steps before it can be released to the public.  Sometimes designers are criticized for the cost of these patterns.  That is so wrong!  Just today, I read a comment about pricing.  Here's what Jennifer had to say:  "With all of my patterns I try my hardest to incorporate something unique to make them worth the money and to teach you something new. All of my patterns are thoroughly tested and I answer questions almost immediately (I hate waiting for a response myself)"   And this is absolutely true.  Each pattern I've completed has taught me a new stitch or technique.  And in some cases, a new friendship too!  Thanks for sticking by me through Chasing Chevrons Sun Hat Hell, Jennifer.  As you can see, I finally mastered it!

When Jennifer introduced her crocheted beach/yarn bag, I was in heaven.  I loved making it and being creative.  Again, her instructions were so easy and there were plenty of photos.

I have so enjoyed watching Jennifer mature and expand her fan and pattern base.  I know the time she puts into designing and perfecting her designs.  You can find her on the well-known sites like Ravelry and Craftsy.  Click here to go to RAVELRY

Based on the items I've shared, you'd think that Jennifer focuses only on her female fans.  Fear not!  She actually has patterns for boys.  Yes, boys.  Click the link, darn it.  Take a look.

Super Cute Vest for the Younger Man in Your Life

Jennifer has tons of patterns now and many new things in the works.  I hope you'll take bit of time to get to know her and visit her Facebook page.

I have the distinct honor to be friends with several great women who design crochet patterns.  I'd love to share them with you.  Stay tuned for more yarny goodness in blogs to come!

But FIRST, go learn more about Jennifer at Her website