Socially Awkward?

A funny thing happened to me at the craft store today...well, funny to me, anyway.


A fellow mom from Ri's school was raving to me about this WONDERFUL yarn I just HAD to pick up. It's called Starbella, and it's so popular that it sells out pretty much the second it's put on the shelf. The scarves that are being made from this wonder yarn are being sold at craft fairs, and on ebay (I know, I checked) for anywhere from $20 to $40!
After hearing her rave review, I figured I had to check this stuff out for myself. She had shown me the scarf she was making (which was beautiful...I wouldn't pay $40 for one, but it was beautiful all the same), and it did look pretty fun. Figured my Little H and I could have some fun "Mommy and Me" scarves for Valentine's Day.
So, after dropping Ri off at school, and before running Little H off to her Gymnastic's class, I decided to stop by our local AC Moore (which is supposedly the only place locally that sells it) and see if, by chance, they had any.
Walking into the store I kind of giggled to myself, thinking: "Wouldn't it be funny if....I had to fight off all these ladies with my knitting needles (totally Ninja style) just to get the yarn". I got back to the Yarn Crafts section, and (much to my relief) found it pretty dead back there! Must not have been a stock up day! I must have walked up and down the 3 yarn aisles 4 times each before I found what was left of the Starbella yarn. 3 measly little balls of this pretty colored yarn....with no wrappers! Really??? People are so into this yarn that they don't want to buy all the colors, but they DO want to steal the wrappers so they have the free pattern (that you can DOWNLOAD from the website!! I know, I looked!)??? Sheesh...come on people! (Crafters...you don't want to mess with them!)
So, I picked up one of the balls of yarn, and proceeded to seek out a store "associate" to let them know that I needed the number so I could actually buy this! I found 3 people huddled in the back by the framing center, doing much of nothing, and waited patiently for one of them to notice me (i.e. for one of them to notice my screaming daughter!). Once my presence was acknowledged, I barely got the words, "Is it possible to get the number for this up to the register so I can buy it" out of my mouth, when the male rolls his eyes and says, "Another one for the Starbella yarn?".
Now, I don't know if I was just caught off-guard by being questioned about my yarn choices, or if it's because I've spent almost 7 years immersed in being a mommy/wife/homebody, but I suddenly started stammering over my words, and trying to reassure them that, really, I'm not a crazy yarn lady who's jumping on the band wagon. That curiosity had finally gotten the best of me. As these associates continued to go on about the "crazy" yarn people, telling their tales of Black Friday proportions (and almost Oscar worthy performances), one lady quietly called the front with the numbers I would need...and I tried to sneak off quietly (with a yelling 2 year old, of course).
If I thought that I had escaped the lion's den, boy was I wrong. The cashier sure had a lot to say on the Starbella subject. "I can't believe the hype over this stuff", "I saw that people were selling the scarves for over $40", "It's not like it's magic", "What do you think you're going to do with it", "Oh, another one who wants to make a scarf?" (While I, again, stammered to explain that I wanted to make a cute little scarf for the little girl who was, by this point, just staring at this woman. Probably thinking, "You're the crazy one!")
I'm just glad that I escaped that AC Moore with my life....maybe not with my dignity intact, and perhaps with a Social complex...and very possibly questioning any kind of social "skills" I thought I might have....but at least I was alive! AND, I had a ball of that coveted Starbella yarn!


After I arrived home HOURS later (it was a loooooong day), I busted that bad boy out. Yep, I can see why people are quite possibly fighting ninja style with their knitting needles to get a ball of it. It's cute...it's fun...it's something different. But....it's still not worth paying $40 for a finished scarf! I suggest you just teach yourself how to knit...it's cheaper! (And, as I only learned how to knit in November...this is an EASY yarn to learn on!)

Heading in to All things Cutesy (and something new!)

Phew....what a month! January always seems to be the never-ending month. Nothing exciting ever happens in January...there aren't any awesome Holiday's. No significant time spent out of school for Ri. It's cold, it's dark, it's usually just a pretty miserable month. And, other than a couple little happenings in our world, this January was no different than any other one!
Some of the memorable mentions from January:

• I got my NEW camera!!! My wonderful Super-Hero got me my T3i as a delayed Christmas gift, and I'm in camera-love! It's a beauty, with so many fun functions...and accessories! I let my Super-Hero spoil me by getting the grip I've been drooling over! I've had so much fun playing with it! Yep, it's definitely camera-love!

• My Super-Hero and I got to spend a wonderful evening out with some friends at The Melting Pot. We took full advantage of the Restaurant Week special again this year, and had some great food! I won't tell you how much chocolate fondue I may, or may not have, devoured!! Soo yummy!

•  We had Ri's very first Pinewood Derby race with the Scouts. He was thrilled, and excited, and pretty much everything a 6 year old boy could be when it comes to cars, races, and building! However, it quickly became a lesson in losing gracefully. My poor Ri! =( It was heart-breaking for us to see him come in last place in all 6 races that he did, so I can only imagine how hard it was for him. He held it together, though...through all the races, through getting his "atta-boy" patch, and all the way until he could come out and get a hug from Mommy and Daddy. That's when my little boy lost it. I will admit that I almost lost it, too. We quickly told him how very proud of him we were, and that even though he didn't win, the fact that he had fun is all that matters (yeah, right!....we couldn't really say that we wanted to pound all the other cars into the dirt, and challenge the fact that our son should have won because he doesn't have an older brother who's done this before!). We then promptly rewarded him with a sugar rich, calorie laden sprinkle donut--and you can bet that I would have given him a million of them if it would have made him smile again! (I'm sure I'm being judged by all the health nut conscious parents out there)

So, now that the never-ending month is FINALLY over, I'm very much so looking forward to February! All things pink, red, hearts, candy, and cutesy-ness (yes, that is now a word)! I've never been much a Valentine's Day person (psh---that's a "holiday" for mushy, gushy, love people, who have bags of money laying around to spend on expensive diamonds, and perishable flowers, and very small portions of food for too many dollar signs!), until Ri was about 3 years old. Something inside me warmed up (much like one would think of the Grinch's heart at Christmas time), and said that I need to make this day special for my family. So, each February the 14th (or, the weekend before depending on school schedules!), my table is set with heart plates, candy, cupcakes, and special bags full of goodies for my Super-Hero and my littles! I think there was even a heart shaped out of candy on our living room floor last year.

Oh, and on a non-cutesy note...we're heading straight into the uncharted waters of Potty Training for Girls! Wow...if I thought my son was difficult to potty train, then I was WAY off base! And people say that Girls, AND your 2nd are MUCH easier to potty train! HA! They apparently didn't have MY daughter! This should be an interesting ride, that's for sure! I'm sure there will be many scatter-brained adventures to share on that front! 

Time to leave the blogging world and return to the world of a messy kitchen, and what looked like a 2 year old toosh streaking through my living room!