Happy Holidays!! A few days late...


Our actual Christmas Day was great. Looooooong but great. Anthony has reached the full understanding of presents and Santa and all that jazz and was up at 5:30 on Christmas Day. I was still in bed and heard him go downstairs to check everything out and then upstairs to try to wake his brother up, downstairs again, upstairs again...it was kinda funny.

All the gifts were enjoyed and appreciated.

Paige opening her iPod with the help of Cosmo:



Anthony opening his one of many gifts:



Dominic playing with his new train table:



My dear, darling DH gave me a knitting journal and a gift certificate to the LYS. I went yesterday to peruse all of the beautiful yarns and came home with some of the new corn yarn "Amaizing" from SouthWest Trading Company. It's a really soft tube yarn. The color I bought is "Biscotti" and it kind of made me feel I was knitting with pantyhose. I have a dress design in mind and have been looking for the right yarn. This may be it, doubled up. Knitted single on 7's, it makes a pretty light-weight fabric.



I also came home with three skeins of Patagonia Nature Cotton in a pretty orange/yellow/pink colorway:



Knitting wise, the only Christmas knitting I managed was a Swell hatfor my grandfather.

and a set of felted coaster for my son's school secretary. I used up some of the jillions of Manos del Uruguay scraps for them so the edges weren't perfect but they still looked cute. (Sorry, I can't seem to find my picture right now.)

My kids are currently at Grandma and Grandpa's and I've been able to wrap up most of the work on the TOP SECRET PROJECT so that feels great! Plus, the hubby and I were able to do some shopping last night and had dinner out. What a treat! I slept in until 9 this morning and woke up only because I wanted to. I could get used to this....but I can't because the kids come home tomorrow. :)

It's just not fair to look this good after a newborn. I know I couldn't find my red lipstick for weeks after delivery my babies! But she is, after all, the queen of all things perfect and chic. What a cutie pie Finn is! Congrats Laura!

On the knitting front--sleeve #2 is on the needles--oh, about half done. I'm trying (not very hard, apparently, since I am wasting time blogging) to finish it today so that the sweater can be blocked before seaming. If I can seam tomorrow, it's a vague possibility the sweater will be finished by my Dec. 15th deadline--but it's not looking good folks. I'm developing aches in my arms and wrists because the sweater is very heavy on the needles. I also have a HOLE in my right index finger from using the ultra-pointy Knitpicks Options needles. I love these needles, but OW does it hurt when you accidentally stab into that hole with that point. I wear Bandaids on it to protect it, but I occasionally forget to put a new one on after letting the finger breathe.

Whoever said that knitting is not a contact sport is so very very very wrong.

Lazy Sunday

Last night, Paige had some friends over for a movie night. They watched "Ferris Bueller's Day Off". I worried considerably whether this would be glamorizing lying to your parents, stealing your dad's priceless vehicle, lying to school, faking a relative's death, driving into Chicago alone, and singing "Danke Schoen" on a float in a parade. My daughter assured me they were not taking notes or believing any of the stunts could be realistically pulled-off. Okey dokey. Just hoping parents don't call me.

I woke up out of a tentative sleep to see my 2 year old standing in the hall with his whole head and hands covered with blood. It was like seeing the scene from "Carrie" only a million times scarier because this was my kid and the source of the blood was unknown. After dashing into the bathroom and trying to keep calm while keeping him calm, I saw the blood was gushing from his nose and he had smeared it all around trying to get it off of his face. After cleaning him off and changing PJ's (both of us were by then covered in blood) I settled him into my bed so that I could finish cleaning up the bathroom and change his bedding. Then, I was overtaken by light-headedness accompanied by cold sweating and a churning stomach. I guess all of the adrenaline leaving my body took my steely reserve with it and I about passed out. I had to lie down next to my child and hold onto him for a while before attempting to stand up again.

So, today is going to be low-key. I'm ripping back a sleeve on my sweater because I realized that I measured incorrectly. Everyone is napping, so I'm going to put the "Gilmore Girls" in and sit back and knit.

Well, finally some knitting content!



I finished this monkey last night while waiting for my daughter to get out of dance class. He was not too difficult to make, the worst part was all of the seaming of the parts. I used some of the wool from my estate sale find

and dyed the light brown trim using coffee because I didn't have the right color dye to make that tan color. Initially, when I finished the monkey, I looked at him and thought he needed something extra. He looked a little naked to me. So I added the scarf. And why not a little hat, too? I can easily see myself knitting entire wardrobes for the monkey and can finally understand why the dolls and teddy bears with interchangeable outfits are interesting. However, for me, the fun is actually creating the outfits, not just putting them on. Anyway, I hope Anthony loves him and wants to play with this little guy all of the time.

The pattern for this little guy is in Knitted Toys by Fiona McTague. The book has a few other cute patterns (the bunnies and the angel doll), but other than those patterns, I probably wouldn't make anything else from it.

In other knitting news, I've been working on a man's sweater in Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride yarn. I've never used this yarn before and it's quite pleasing to knit with. I like how soft it is, even with the mohair. It's been very long and quite dull because I had to knit 16 inches of stockinette stitch with a circumference of 42". However, last night, I finally hit the armholes and hopefully things will pick up from here. I cannot show you a picture just yet, since it's a sample for a pattern that will be published. I sure hope all of this suspense is worth it! LOL

The deadline for the sample and first draft is Jan. 2nd. So, MY goal is to have it done by the 15th of Dec. I dunno--we'll see. The best laid plans...wish me luck. I will really need it--and coffee--and good movies to watch while knitting.

Amelia has just published her newest pattern design for sale, and I think I might need to spend my Christmas gift money on yarn to make this lovely coat. It's actually quite similar to something I had in mind to design, so now that she's done the hard work for me, I think I'll go ahead and make one of them!

OK, I'm off to knit some more wooly mohair. (It's kind of drying my hands out, this yarn is.) Have a great day!

It's a snow day today!!! Some huge amounts of snow dumped down and it's so quiet in the way things are with snow on the ground. You can't hear the slush being splattered by driving cars on the road yet.

The boys and I bundled up to enjoy the clean, white snowy fun. However, we encountered a few problems. The first--the snow came up the the baby's waist and he couldn't move. So, I started shoveling out paths for him to work through when I heard Anthony crying from behind the garage. He had attempted to climb the short hill there to sled down and got completely stuck in the deep snow there. When he stood up, his boot came off of his foot. Then, he lost the other boot while trying to make it to the house. By the time he made it inside, he was cold and crying. Not fun! Poor little guy. So we're waiting for DH to get home from work so he can start up the snow blower and make it easier for us to play.

On a brighter note! Welcome to the world little Trevor!! He is my new nephew and quite beautiful, with his little cleft chin and fuzzy head. My SIL is doing well after being induced for a pre-eclampsia scare. What a perfect Christmas gift! Here is the little man with Paige:

It's been a bumpy ride

I've been trying to recover from that funky stomach bug that is apparently sweeping the nation. It's nasty and takes forever to feel normal again. You know how you feel so drawn--as if all of the blood were drained from your face permanently? I can hear you now--Uhhh...no.

Anyway, the daughter is in serious rehearsals for this year's Nutcracker performance. She is a clown in Act II--you know, they pop out of Mother Ginger's enormous skirt? So, we've been spending lots of time down there, volunteering and waiting and waiting and waiting...but it's all so worth it in the end because there is something so magical about seeing her dance on stage. Every year sees a higher level of expertise and it's thrilling to witness.

I'm busy making business type decisions, thinking of new goals I wish to reach and deadlines for those goals. I don't know about you, but these type of decisions make me extremely skittish. However, I know they are necessary to do because it puts me in the right mindset as a business owner. It reminds me I AM a business owner and solely responsible for the growth of that business. Therefore, it's been knitting and thinking, knitting and thinking. It's overall very positive and once things get rolling, I hope it's all I wish it to be.

I realized today that Thanksgiving is only 4 days away and I will be responsible for feeding 13 people. I go to pick up the organic, Amish grown turkey tomorrow. He or she will be treated to an apple cider brine a day before T-day. I still need everything else for the dinner and have been in denial about that. Hopefully, I'll snap out of that soon, huh?

If I am not here to blog before the big day, it's because I'm stuck in rehearsals, coaxing little cherubs to smile, and cleaning my house, and trying to remove all stains from my tablecloth, and removing small fingers from my pies.

Don't Curse the Dad!

I thought that would get your attention. I'm sorry, I have had little to say and little time or energy to say what little I do have to say. **
Strike that--because one thing I promised myself was that I would NOT apologize to my BLOG for being busy.**

Today, I decided to bail out on pre-school "try out" or "practice" or whatever- you- want- to -call- it- day this morning because the thought of cutting one pseudo obligation out of my schedule this week was too tempting. (Don't get all huffy, it was basically a free- come- and- sing -and- play- in- our- pre-school to -see- if- you- like- it- enough- to- pay- a -lot- of- money- to- send- your- child- here- next- year. There is another one in December.)

So, we're home, the two-year old and I, for the first day this week. I get a few things done around the house so that it looks better. I had a scary realization the other night. I was walking through my kitchen door and noticed a bug on the trim on the wall. It was a box elder bug and where we live, they come out in the fall and try to live in your home. Anyway, I couldn't tell right away it was a box elder bug because attached to it was a huge giant dust bunny. It was at the same time amazing and embarrassing. I did consider running for my camera but decided that it would be wrong to document the fact that BUGS find it a little dusty on my wood floors.

My excuse is, of course, the fact that I'm busy. In fact, each week seems to get worse. I'm not sure how or why this is, but it is. It requires some looking at because I have not had ample knitting time to bring me down each night before bed. It's also trashing my creativity and I sorely need that to make it through this existence as a taxi-cab-driver mom.

I've had some exciting news this week--news that still has me poking it once in a while to make sure it's real. I am going to have a knitting design published in a BOOK!! Every once in a while, I remember it and go, "OH! Yeah! That is pretty cool." Then, I resume driving again. So, more details on that later.

And the reason for today's title? Dominic wanted a grapefruit and I only bought the grapefruit because my husband asked me to get some. I am not a grapefruit fan because I end up spending half a day in the kitchen preparing the grapefruits for the kids and prefer quick and dirty fruits like apples and bananas and oranges. Anyway, Dominic was asking for one during a time when I was particularly pre-occupied and I said with all the flair I could muster, "Curse the Dad and his grapefruits!!" Just as a joke, you know. However, Dominic is now marching around saying, "Curse the Dad!". I can't wait to hear the husband's reaction to that.

On a final note to this admittedly CRAZY blog entry, please go to the Fiber Arts Avengers store and see if there are any goodies to tempt you. Things are running until the 12th, so please go check it out!

The Fiber Arts Avengers are at it AGAIN!!

First, let me say how much I adore being a part of this group of vibrant, strong ladies who KNOW that when you put your Fiber Arts powers to good use, amazing things can happen!! Kudos to my friend Pamela for brainstorming this fabulous way of raising money for charitable fund-raising.

Now, on to the serious matter. My friend Marnie has a sweet daughter who is friends with a little man named "The Professor". He was recently found to have a brain tumor. My mama heart quakes at the thought of something similar happening to any of my children. I know YOURS is doing so, too, right now. He came through the surgery to remove the tumor fine, but is recuperating for the long battle ahead to ensure he has plenty of years to play with his friends.

The Fiber Arts Avengers are currently in the process of fund-raising for The Professor's family because as you all know, it's expensive to have a loved one ill and meals on the road, traveling, bills, etc. add up quickly. And money is not what you want to have to worry about while your little one is fighting a brave fight. So please, go to www.FiberArtsAvengers.com and see what you can do to help. If you are a fiber artist, consider joining our cause! If you are a parent, check out the amazing wares that will be offered for auction or drawing--all proceeds are 100% to the Professor's family. If you want to donate directly, that information is available at the website, as well. Even if you could just take a few minutes a day and send positive, healing thoughts to Natty, that would be appreciated and FELT.

Here's the link to all of the goodies: http://hyenacart.com/Charity_raffles/

Thank you so much for reading!

A hole, a hole!

Last week, Cari showed us a pretty sock that had developed a huge hole in the heel. Now it's my turn to mourn my first pair of hand-made socks. They are my Koigu Falling Leavessocks. Both of them developed holes in the ball-of-the-foot region at the same time. On one hand, I'm a little disturbed that the Koigu didn't wear that well. On the other hand, I like that the Koigu isn't long-lasting because well...handmade socks are special that way. Maybe if I gift a bunch of Koigu socks this Christmas, all of my friends will want to remain my friends because they will need their hand-knit wool sock fix.

Halloween is hard on the parents.

True that, you think? I have three children. My eldest wanted to be a fairy. I managed to find some pretty wings and found some beautiful purple tulle to match and promised to make a tutu. (It's hard to find tutus for 13 yo's without paying an arm and a leg). Ay yi yi. She ended up re-sewing her tutu last night!! Poor thing.

The middle child is six and wanted to be a pirate. His entire costume came from things we had around the house. We had a leftover eye patch, hat and earring from a few years ago when the eldest was a piratess. I went to his school costume parade today and he was the ONLY one with a homemade costume. Can you believe it, folks?

The youngest has two costume choices: a hand-sewn dinosaur costume (I did not make it, it was a garage sale find.) or a giraffe. NEITHER one will he put on.

So, tell me--why do we celebrate this weird holiday which is nothing but a money and time suck? Every year, I TRY to be a good mom and get into it, but all that happens is I'm reminded of why it's such a ridiculous celebration.

So what did you do this weekend??

Friday night, I went to see Marie Antoinette. Oh wow, did I ever love this film. I love how it wasn't all about the Revolution but about HER. I also love how they didn't have Kirsten Dunst talking in some hideous accent. I also love it that the actress Shirley Henderson (she portrays Moaning Myrtle in the Harry Potter films) is in this film because her distinctive voice is her biggest asset in that role. Of course, I love it that music by THE CURE is in this film in quite a shivery, emotional moment. I think I'll go see it again soon.
Saturday, my parents had their 23rd wedding anniversary and came over for dinner. My brother and his wife and daughter came over, too, and it was a lot of fun. Afterward, hubby and I took off to Barnes and Noble for a cup of coffee and quiet. In your town, is your B&N THE place to be on Sat. nights? Ours is always packed.
Sunday, I stayed in my jammies and ignored the Jehovah's Witnesses who were knocking on our door. Whispered things like, "I don't think she's going to answer." were cracking me up.
I knit most of the day with the Cascade 220 project. It's turning out pretty well, I think.

Today, Dominic asked me to do a puzzle with him. This one happened to be 100 pieces and quite ugly--dinosaurs--but I said, "OK."

It started out fine until I realized the puzzle was kicking my ass and it was a good thing the six year old wasn't there to witness me struggle to put the puzzle together. After a few minutes, of course, Dominic decided cars were more fun than the puzzle, but he would play with them next to me at the table for moral support. I hunkered down and told him we couldn't do anything else until Mom finished the puzzle.

Eventually (notice I'm not saying how long it was?) Mom finished. See the proof?







I stopped at an estate sale the other day and walked out with about 9 skeins of natural colored wool yarn for $6.00. The rest was mostly some really hideous colors that I thought I would never use. Until I put my brain to it and realized that I could overdye them and probably come up with some decent colorways that way. So, I called the lady and asked to come over and see what was left. She was obliging and I met her yesterday. I staggered out this time with a garbage bag full of yarn for $20. Then, she stopped by my house 10 minutes later to refund me $5. Wha? She over-charged me, she claimed. Oh my goodness. I felt like a highway robber. She insisted on hugging me and told me to call her anytime I want. I still am in awe of her and her generosity.





More finished objects--

another felted dress to test my pattern notes:



The FAA socks are done:



What's next? Here's a pile of Cascade 220 that arrived today. I'm not a huge fan of this yarn, but I needed something not too expensive, easily found that is available in all of the colors I wanted without dyeing it myself. It's a suprise, so that's all you'll hear about that right now. It's all wound up and ready to go, so I'm off to knit!! Enjoy your weekend, everyone.

Another freaking countdown



In a year of lackluster movies, October 20th is the day Marie Antoinette finally opens in the US. I've been waiting forever for this one to open. I LOVED Lost in Translation passionately and have very high hopes for this new one from Sofia Coppola. Who else would pair rock and roll music with the doomed French queen? I'm not a huge Kirsten Dunst fan, but in the previews I've seen, she looks perfect.

"DATE NIGHT" is scrawled on the calendar in huge red letters because I am not waiting another day to see this one!

Only two more days
Until the Project Runway winner is revealed!! I think at this point, it's still too hard to say who the winner will be. I do think my buddy Michael will not be winning, though. His collection was a disappointment to me. And with all of the drama over Jeffrey and Laura...I don't know.
Halloween is coming up and I am NOT one of those super moms who makes the most amazing costumes for their kids. Basically, because I think Halloween is a waste of time and money. How's that for Bah humbug? It's too bad for Anthony because he friggin loves Halloween. I try to be a good sport, but I definitely don't go overboard.

It's been unseasonably cold here lately and I've been living in flannel pajama bottoms, warm socks and sweat shirts at home. Hand knit wool socks definitely take the cake for keeping the feet nice and toasty. So, after I finish the pair for the Fiber Arts Avengers auction winner, I'll cast on another pair and probably keep a sock on the needles at all times until spring.

The hat and mittens seen yesterday and another iPod cover are on sale today at noon Eastern time:

http://hyenacart.com/KimberlyR/index.php?c=13

Yet *more* hibernating!



It's been a long week of taking care of the convalescent. He's turned rather crabby and hard to please. When you're eating a soft diet and everything hurts your throat, it's difficult to be nice. I understand. Nighttime has been horrific and I will spare you a shot of the bags under my eyes right now. I think we have, however, turned a corner and are making our way towards normalcy again.

This pretty much sums up my coping--knitting small things from this jumble of yarn bits that I dragged out of my yarn stash. Never fear, there is LOTS more where those come from, but these caught my fancy. (The cute bag is a yarn cubby from Tif at Dara&Scott.com. I love it, it goes with me wherever I go and gets compliments all of the time.) Anyway, knitting small things from this yarn and felting everything in sight has been therapeutic.

Kids are magic.



We took Anthony to have his surgery yesterday morning. He was so brave and stoic. It was frightening to see him drift off to sleep on the operating table, and frightening to wait for him to wake up and be Anthony again. He did so well, though. No puking, which I was expecting. Minimal tears. He enjoyed inspecting his tonsils and adenoids and hearing how they were "huge" in comparison to most tonsils and adenoids.


He shrugs off Tylenol with codeine and since he is denied his bike and skateboard, hunts for bugs in the backyard. We wake him at 2 for his medicine, but other than that, he sleeps all night long withuot a peep.

He is my hero.

What I've been up to...

Hibernating, kinda. I've had a weird chest/flu thing. I spent the weekend on the sofa and feel OK today. Anyway, I managed to get a few things done during the sick time.

This hood/scarf is going to be a gift for someone's special mom:


It's Andromeda yarn from Henry's Attic, which is a single ply 50%wool/50% silk. YUM. Heaven to knit with and wear.










I also dyed some sock yarn for the winner of my auction for the Fiber Arts Avengers:

She wanted kettle dyed, so that's what she got! I am really excited to see how it knits up. It's Kona superwash merino from Henry's Attic, too. Fingering weight.















Tomorrow is the T&A day for my son. I'm trying to get things under control here so that I can focus on him tomorrow. Please send me Strong Mom vibes!

Oh, look at what arrived in my mail today!

My friend Erica kindly and beautifully embroidered our names on towels, so I know who to yell at when I find a towel lying on the floor.








They are so perfect for my new bathroom, I am giddy. I made those curtains, btw. My second ever sewing project. I won't disclose how long it took or how many times I had to rip out the little hole I was supposed to leave open for the curtain rod to go through.

























Dominic enjoyed snuggling his towel:
























Thank you, Erica! You are a queen!

It was a g&t kinda night tonight...

I drank my first while making dinner. The second while making the kids clean up after dinnner. Gotta do that more often.

The 6 yo son is scheduled for a t&a on Oct. 3rd. At first, I couldn't believe that the medical professionals actually call a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy a "t&a" with a straight face, because I could hardly stand to look them in the eye when they said that. Anyway, now that my son knows the term "t&a" I can't wait to see how the public reacts the first time he says it.

So, now that I got that childish bit out, I'm searching the web for enough soft foods to sustain him for two weeks. He's kind of on the skinny side, so I'm a little worried about him losing too much weight after. Although, he did inform me that marshmallow shakes would be just perfect.

Homecoming--*sob*

Yesterday was Homecoming at my daughter's school. First of all, I was floored to hear that middle school kids have Homecoming. Second of all, I couldn't believe it was treated like high school Homecoming. To an extent--no dinners out, but the manicures, the dresses, the hair, the tears over dates, ay yi yi.

My daughter is on the left.


She would kill me if she knew I was posting this picture on the internet. This is my reward for being perpetually on the road yesterday to get her beautiful and ready to dance with the infamous Ian.

This is sleazy...even for Republicans


I got a phone call this morning from a Deborah Cochran from Senator Tom Reynolds' office. I won a congressional award and they need to send me a press packet.

Instead of being thrilled, I was instantly suspicious and Googled the good Senator and looked up his phone numer. It didn't match the number I was given: 866-338-8289. So, I Googled the number and found this.

Can I just say how pissed I am at the underhanded way this is handled? How I am writing a letter to the editor of my newspaper today about this? Tsk tsk.

What to do about Twinkies?




I try to pack nutritious lunches for my son and bypass things like Flamin' Hot Cheetos because they just freak me out.

Now, I'm not totally anti-sugar. I include homemade pudding, cake, stuff like that. However, I found out that the son is just eating that junk from his friends' lunches. They share the Fruit Roll Ups, and the Twinkies and the damn Flamin' Hot Cheetos.

Do I just give in and buy that stuff? It's so irritating because it's so much cheaper in this country to eat that crap. You can buy a box of 12 Twinkies for something like $2. TWO DOLLARS. I pay more than that for a bag of apples.

I was listening to the radio this morning and am heart-sick to hear that the issues in Darfur are not getting better and are, in fact, expected to get much worse. Nothing bothers me nearly as much as genocide. It's human nature at it's very very worst.

The Genocide Intervention Network is doing wonderful work in the Darfur region, helping to protect the innocent. Please go read about their mission and how you can help.

I get a kick out of bands who don't take it all so seriously. OK Go seems to be in that vein, along with bands like They Might be Giants and Bare Naked Ladies. If you need a giggle (and I did because the President is on TV right now) watch this video. It's a much better use for treadmills than the norm, I think.



- "Here It Goes Again"

EDITED because the direct video link was messing up my blog. I think it was coded to work with My Space users.

If you love Project Runway, raise your hand


I don't know why, but I am totally addicted to this show this season. I usually really don't get into any reality TV, but I suppose since it's about the designs and less about the designers, I like it more.

This week, one of my faves, Kayne was out. Good-bye, sweet Kayne. For what it's worth, I thought your couture gown was beautiful. Here's a nice interview of Kayne that I found online.

Dibs on who wins? I think Michael.

*Whew*

I don't know why the pictures insist on staying where they are instead of letting me move them around. But I'm too tired to worry about it right now.

Hold my hand, please


I'm about to send this into the washer and dryer to felt. Eeks.

Been buying books


I bought this yesterday from Barnes and Noble online. Also bought this for my daughter.

I was looking for the father of that mean girl last night at Open House, but he wasn't there. Darn. I did, however, receive glowing reports from all of my daughter's teachers that she is doing well so far. She is also the Editor in Chief of the yearbook this year! That is totally rocking since I was a total Publications geek in middle school and high school.

I like this seller at Etsy and think I'll buy something to give to the daughter as a congratuations gift.

Mean Girls



Suck. Seriously, sometimes I loathe the fact that I am female. And that I had a daughter who is female. Because girls suck. Mean girls suck even more. Today's post is not going to be about womanly comradeship, it's gonna be about middle school girls who are awful.



My daughter has a friend who is pretty manipulative and always manages to get my daughter feeling bad about calling this girl on her lies and crap like that. So, today is the beginning of Plan B. I told her there's no rule that says she has to be best friends with this girl forever. That there are, in fact, a whole world full of girls out there to be friends with. Many of whom are not little snotty punks who take pleasure in being mean.

Now, I'm not for a second thinking that my daughter is 100% innocent--I know how girls are. But I also know she is not good at defending herself and is too kind for her own good sometimes. She and I know this girl comes from a messed up home situation. She thinks being a good friend means taking all the crap from this girl. Nuh-uh.

So, back to Plan B....she has a friend from ballet who is really wonderful. I'm encouraging more time spent with this girl and a few others who manage to stay out of the drama and focus on the things that are more important and fulfilling--dance, school, having fun without worrying that the next day at school will bring some kind of twisted argument.

Please wish us luck.

On a brighter note

This is some yummy Montana yarn that I dyed these pink and green shades. What will I do with them?









Here's a hint--and NO it's not a sleeping mask for a cat, but an experiment with felting:

5 Years Later

Each year, the pain of 9/11 does not get easier. I don't know if it ever will. Now, I know why they reminisce about where they were when JFK was murdered. This is a universal pain, more for others, less for some.

On that day, I was keening in the bathroom over the loss of a baby. I had only found out one week prior that I was pregnant. It had been a tumultuous week as DH and I struggled to deal with this unplanned pregnancy. Then, in a wink, it was gone. Taken out of our hands. Loss.

After I stumbled out of the bathroom and tried to resemble a normal parent for my then one-year-old son, I turned on the TV for cartoons and saw what had happened. It took me about 2o minutes to realize it was not a joke and take in the horror of what had happened. To me then, my pain was greater than the pain of 9/11. I was not able to grieve for 9/11 until a year later when the shows on television discussed it and re-showed the footage from the people running for their lives in the streets of New York City. Right now, I am crying for them.

My then one-year-old is six now. Listening to NPR this morning for the news, I was awakened to the fact that today is 9/11 again. He heard the discussion and asked me about it.

"Honey, five years ago, some bad people hijacked two planes and crashed them into the Twin Towers in New York City. Lots of people were killed."

He thought about that for a second and asked the defining question:

"Mom, was it an accident or did they do it on purpose?"

It broke my heart to have to tell him. "On purpose."

I have seen flags all around today as I drove him to school. To all of us, being patriotic means different things. Hold your flag in your heart, next to your hope for the future of our children. Hold your loved ones today and hope.

Today is being spent dealing with something like 20 lbs. of tomatoes.

Also, finished felting some slipper socks that are up for auction to benefit the Fiber Arts Avengers here:

http://www.wahmchicks.com/auctiondetails.php?id=1418


Need to take the daughter to auditions for the Nutcracker today, as well. Tell her to break a leg!

Yesterday I made some really great banana bread using this recipe from Cooking Light. It has RUM and COCONUT in it with a lime glaze. YUM.

WOOT! Brenda Dayne is a goddess!

I don't know if you listen to Cast-On but I love Brenda Dayne and think her podcast is one of the best. I sent her an email about a group of fiber artists I belong to called the Fiber Arts Avengers

and asked her to spam us on her podcast for our fund raising efforts. We raise money to sponsor ladies who walk in the Breast Cancer 3 Day walk. This year's auctions are starting up NOW so go and see if you can find something you love. More goodies will be going up soon, including a pair of felted slipper socks I've been working on, please don't mind the funky picture, it's a quickie so I can finish knitting it's mate:

I've never been able to adequately capture this colorway in a picture--it's a mix of teals, turquoise, periwinkle and blue that I kettle dyed so it avoids pooling too badly. This is a very nice soft yarn, so they won't itch and will keep your tootsies nice and warm :)


So, go and bid, it's for a great cause!

I'm dipping my toe into eBay. I haven't in a long time, but what the heck. I saw that they have added this category since my last foray for custom, hand-made clothing. WOOHOO.

So, here's the auction , if you want to take a peep, it's for a little "Snug" if you need a warm sweater jacket.

I used a new program called iSale to list the auction, made for Macs and I gotta tell you, it's pretty slick. They let you try it out for three auctions for free. They have lots of nice templates although if I decide to purchase it, I may give creating my own template a shot so I can incorporate my logo and all.

The downfalls are:

not totally easy to get rid of the pictures they stick in the templates
you cannot do any html coding in the text boxes, so clickable links are out
you cannot use an online photo server like photobucket for your pictures, they want you to use eBay's photo service, .Mac (great if you have an acct.) or ftp.

But the rest is really great. If you're not totally computer savvy, you can use this program with ease. You can drop and drag photos from your computer, or click a button and up pops your photo library from iPhoto. The program makes it easy to track your auctions, tracks your hits and is really pretty to look at. :)

the bug is back

creativity abounds tonight. i'm tackling some of the "how will i do this?" portions of some patterns that i keep sketching and have a question for you--

do you know of a knit stitch that looks like weaving besides the slip stitch variations?

i could use a little loom if have to, but i don't want to.

the bug is back

creativity abounds tonight. i'm tackling some of the "how will i do this?" portions of some patterns that i keep sketching and have a question for you--

do you know of a knit stitch that looks like weaving besides the slip stitch variations?

i could use a little loom if have to, but i don't want to.

If you're a wife--How have you evolved?

This is something I've been thinking about for a while here.

Stage 1:

I started out in the Honeymoon stage. I pampered my husband and did all the housewifely duties cheerfully (and sometimes quite enthusiastically).

Stage 2:

Then, I decided all this pampering was for the birds and I am not his mother, I am mother to three kids. I stopped picking up his socks and putting them in the laundry chute. I also stopped putting his clothes away.

Stage 3:

I've actually been actively pushing the husband out of the nest, forcing him to learn scary new computer skills, cooking skills, and ironing skills. I find it most un-sexy when my husband requires my attention in a "motherly" way.

I guess the thing is--I want more than to be a wife and mother. I used to think it was alright for ME, but it's not. So now I have to get my kids and husband to accept this, too. Is this fair for them? To pull this switch-a-roo on them?

Our basement got a little water after the storms last night. I went down today and looked around and pitched a bunch of stuff that had been sitting down there because my husband is a packrat of the worst kind--icky stuffed animals that his parents give the kids from garage sales and other fun items like that.

Then, I plugged in the Shop Vac and sucked up the millions of spider webs and spiders that had been hanging out down there. It was so satisfying, it's scary.

I think I've now earned myself an afternoon of knitting while the youngest is napping.

Today was like spring. Thunderstorms and tornado warnings in SEPTEMBER? Over 6 inches of rain and cars are flooded up to their windshields in parts of the city. Basement walls are collapsing. Power is out in a lot of areas. We made it home from a party just in time to avoid swimming home and have power. We are so lucky.

This weekend has been one long growing pain. In many different ways, there have been pains.

The barely teenaged daughter (13) has been the opposite of fun to talk to, extract information from, and shop with. Her feet are to put it mildly--huge. All the friends are wearing cute slip on Vans but her feet are too wide for these shoes. We finally found a pair of Rocket Dog shoes that would fit but of course they weren't "in" or "cool" or "whatever" enough. Poor thing was in tears over the size of her feet.

Then, she lied to me about using my makeup. So, we have THAT. If she would have been honest and not such a snot when confronted with her lie, it would have gone so much better for her.

Growing pains--they hurt. I am dealing with the fact that I am not cool, and I apparently have no fashion sense. Also, feeling like the only thing she wants from me is stuff and money and rides to places bites.

The 6 yo son has expressed interest in being like everyone else. We've been using the Laptop Lunchbox to avoid throwing plastic bags away all of the time and last year, he loved it. This year? He wants a lunchbox like all of the other kids. NOT THAT PHRASE AGAIN! I'm trying to kick up the menu for his lunches to see if that will help at all. Tomorrow is this kick-ass chocolate pudding from my boyfriend Alton Brown on the Food Network.

On a more fun note, I also found myself a cute pair of shoes since my Bjorns finally kicked the bucket. I brought these home and wore them out today and they are perfect. Comfy and cute.

I'm feeling a drain on my creativity lately. All these ideas I had sketched out are not coming to fruition because I know if I pick up the needles while not inspired, it will all go wrong.

So I'm sticking to tried and true things until it comes back. I think there have been too many different things pulling at my brain and body lately and I need to try to streamline some things.

I wish that old Seinfeld trick worked--

"SERENITY NOW!"

On a more fun note, JCPenney has Chuck Taylors on sale now for kids--buy 1 pair, get the next pair for $1. So both my boys are sporting black Chucks and I think they are the cutest thing ever.

So, Marnie

Please ask The Squid to stop giving Dominic ideas.

The son is successfully started at his new school. The first day went well, and his teacher called last night to give us a report--all glowing, of course. See, I have one of *those* kids. It took me by suprise when I first noticed that I had one of *those* kids.

My son can charm the pants off of anyone around. I thought he was gorgeous and darling when he was born, of course. But then his personality took over (even though he refused to sleep for the first two years of his life and was sick every other week) and I cannot take him anywhere without someone gushing over him. And I'm used to gushing. My daughter receives frequent comments on her looks, her manners and so on while we're out in public. My youngest son is so cute it's silly. But it's ridiculous with my older son. I can't go to the gynecologist without him without getting a smackdown for not bringing him with so they can chat with him. I can't go to the dentist without the same thing happening. The pediatrician's office? Ridiculous. "Look, he said 'I feel nauseous'. Isn't that cayoot?!?" My aunt calls frequently just to talk to him. All of his teachers have loved him. All of the parents in the classes love him. He's just one of those kids. I hope he uses this power for good and not evil. I hope he avoids places like Las Vegas and Hollywood.

Anyway, enough of that, I'm sure your eyes are glazing over at my unabashed gloating.

So, the new school--my poor husband is having an inferiority complex due to his vehicle. See, it's mostly Lexus, BMW, Mercedes there. And here comes my husband in the '93 Subaru station wagon. We're waiting until it dies before going for a hybrid for him to drive to work...but anyway, this is going to be a good way to learn what our values are in regards to money and possessions.

Do I wish I have the money for manicures and fabulous shoes and a better haircut? Absolutely. But, I thank my lucky stars that we were able to afford to send him to this school. And hopefully, one day, with the education he's received at this school and his special skills at charming people, our son can pick us up in his expensive vehicle as thanks.

Could someone at iTunes please let me know when the second season of Weeds will arrive in the store, so I can continue my unhealthy addiction? (Pun--funny, no?) I guess that picture is pretty small. Bear with me as I figure this Blogger thing out. We canceled cable to avoid corrupting our children as best we can, but Mom needs her smut. I AM grateful that Project Runway appears so promptly in the store, though.

All summer long, I've been waiting for the day when the two oldest are back in school. My Anthony seems determined to lengthen my wait as long as he can.

Number of days of school in session: 2. Days absent: 2

I had hopes the antibiotic would have him fine and dandy this morning in time for school. Not so. He is pretty perky today, but still 101.7. Which is better than the 104 he woke up at yesterday, but not good enough for school.

*sigh*

I have cast on a legwarmer for a little one because the never-ending knee sock was making me nuts.

Plus, I'm sick with a cold myself, so anything that requires more thought than a legwarmer or rounds on a sock cuff and just out of the question.

Better yet, another blog by a KNITTER. Who COOKS and has KIDS and likes to talk about BOOKS. All things that have been lacking in the blogsphere until now.

I am Kim, a SAHM to three children. I am not sure how much about my kids I will reveal in this blog as of yet. I am a professional knitter by trade--it's one of those things you don't aspire to in high school, but it happens. I design knit *things* and sell them.

My husband is my business backer, he didn't want to be my partner. LOL Which is fine by me, since we have serious differences of opinion on a lot of things and I don't want to have to compromise that much when it comes to yarn and my creativity.

We live in the Midwest. It's kind of my goal to move out of this area, which would accomplish a few things: get us out of this boring area, find better schools for our kids, move me away from my ILs.

I garden and as usual, am overwhelmed by the amount of produce that comes out of it. I decided against the zucchinni plant this year which in itself saved me many sobbing nights begging neighbors to just take them and do whatever they want with them.

However, it's tomato season!! These are just a handful of the tomatoes I'm dealing with today. I have transformed about 30 of the plum tomatoes into a pot of sauce. The rest will be canned with basil leaves and garlic cloves when I decide I can handle it. I also have a second wave of green beans, which is delightful because I didn't get enough in the first wave due to Mexican Bean Beetles.




Now, onto the kids portion of this post:

My 6 year old son is dealing with yet another case of tonsillitis and missed the first day of school. Which was a real bummer, since he's starting at a new private Country Day school. The pediatrician is suggesting we look into seeing an ENT about this because this is 6 cases of similar infections in a span of 6 months. I struggle with this because I hate to see him get these infections so frequently and miss out on things (he missed 14 days of school last year due to illness!) but surgery on my little man freaks.me.out.

I think it's time to end this post and go start peeling tomatoes.

Oh, almost forgot the KNITTING portion:

On the needles is a sock in Lorna's Laces "Bittersweet" colorway. It is going to be a kneesock since these skeins go so far. Love this yarn!