I'm furiously trying to knit up as much stuff as I can for the holidays.
Here's the finished Garterlac dishcloth:
Here's a flower petal dish cloth:
Here's my mother's Lost Points Shawl
Close up:
Next, my friend GOAM has a mother whom she describes as being a Martha Stewart type. GOAM is the anti-MS. Here's a piece of cake she made from the top of one of those cake forms for a Halloween party:
Suitably creepy!
Can you imagine some day when we have an astronaut who is classified as an alien archaeologist?
This month's Mid October Monthly Dishcloth pattern. From the front, it looks like a normal striped washcloth:
From the side, you see a candy corn.
Pretty cool, huh?
I am finally knitting in the round on Mom's shawl (the middle is knitted flat). It should knit up fast from here. I'm not a fan of knitting with ladder yarn, but it does look dramatic once you have it knitted up. 
Just a note. I'm using the KnitPicks Options needles. While I like the needles and the cords, I still wish they had the little do-dads that could lengthen the cords (an extender) like the Denise System has. It would make knitting this just a little easier.
It's a good thing that someone has put together a photo tutorial for this pattern. It took me at least three or four times to get the hang of where everything goes.
Here's another finished dishcloth. This is a free pattern called Yvonne's Double Flower Cloth
I did it again. . . knitted a lacy thing in a variegated yarn. Buh.
I really enjoyed knitting the Mason Dixon Knitting ball band dishcloth. On one of the many knitting lists I read, someone posted that it was a simplified Mosaic pattern.
I checked out the Barbara Walker Mosaic Knitting book from my local library and knitted the snowflake pattern.
If you haven't tried Mosaic Knitting, it's worth checking out. This was a lot of fun to knit.
Note: Mosaic knitting is just a whole bunch of slip stitches - not fair isle. You just carry one color across at a time (basically knit with one color for two rows, then switch). I could do a picture tutorial if anyone is interested.
One of the things I was not prepared for with motherhood is the MASSIVE amount of art work M can create. Consequently, I end up having to stealthily trash the massive amount (bad mom) - which is getting progressively more difficult as M now cruises by the trash in search of treasures she's created.
Some times I come across some savers.
We read a lot to M. Her favorite books have been the Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey. We sent away for a free newsletter and it had a tutorial on how to draw Captain Underpants. Here's M's version:
I think she did a pretty good job!
She's also reading and, thus, trying to figure out how to spell everything. Of course it's all being done phonetically. I just love this:
I think she's trying to say "Have a good work."
I'm still watching some other established shows.
Battlestar Galactica (Sci Fi Fridays)
I need to go and watch the stupid Webisodes that are free to watch on Sci Fi. I feel like I missed out on a whole season of shows and was put into the middle of a whole new story line that I just haven't been following.
Lost (ABC, Wednesdays)
Love this show. Love it, love it, love it. I like how they've followed the same story line from three different perspectives. Seeing the plane break in half from the ground was stunning. I also still don't get "the Others".
Nip/Tuck (F/X, Tuesdays)
This has been a fun series, but it is starting to lose it's way. They need to pull a Seinfeld on this one and wrap it up. We're starting to revisit story lines that have already been done.
Gray's Anatomy (ABC, Thursdays)
This is just fun. I hate that Merideth has picked McDreamy as the one. I like McVet (sigh). I also like the new addition of McSteamy. I also like how they're showing Callie (who is a bit on the chunky side) as a sex object.
I started knitting this shawl a while back. It's knitted with Melody, which is a ladder yarn, and it came in a hank. I had some trouble winding it into a ball, so I draped the hank around the arm of my chair and left it there. Well, as some of you know, I have a four year old. She sat down in my chair and proceeded to push the yarn off the arm chair because it was tickling her.
My hank became the dreaded knot.
I tried and tried to untangle it, but it became more tangled. I finally just gave up on it.
But my mom bought the yarn and really wants the shawl. I was at a local yarn shop that was going out of business and they had the very yarn I hate on sale. What was nice this time, however, is that the Melody was being sold in a ball - not a hank! A good knitting friend had given me a Yarn Clam a while back.
I now do not hate ladder yarns as much as I once did. They're still a little unruly, but they knit up so dramatically. I hope I can get the shawl done before mom's next cruise in November.
These little fella's are just so cute
The gray bearded one is the latest addition to my Gnome Menagerie. I knitted the body and the hat in the round. The hands and arms could have been done in the round, but I needed DPN's and didn't have any. I'm using glass beads for the weights in the second one instead of black eyed peas. I also had to comb the beards to get them nice and fluffy.
Added Note: I got the pattern from the Christmas supplement issue of Simply Knitting #8 (November, 2005).
I finally knitted the MDK Bobble Dishcloth. The soap is a $1 purchase from Michael's.
Now the best part: 
I just love the way this looks and it knits up fairly quickly. This is what the teachers at school are getting for winter break this year.
This knitted up incredibly fast. Baby Boucle from Bernat. Free sweater (Bulky Baby Bibbed Pullover) pattern from here. The hat is an Ubilical Cord hat pattern from SnB. This was an easy three night knit. :)
I got this photo from an on-line acquaintance :
I encourage you to click on the URL above so you can see the photo better. The space geek in me really thinks this is cool. I mean, we have a satellite orbiting Mars that can photograph our robotic surface drones and send back photos to earth.
It's not as cool as living in space like the Jetsons, but its still very cool.
DH has "tagged me" and wants me to list the five things about him that's great.
So, J, you are just a terrific husband!
If you read this, consider yourself tagged. What are 5 things that your spouse/significant other does that's great?
One question I get from some of my fellow knitters is how can I get so much stuff done. Well, I knit while I watch television. I always keep my knitting in my purse so if I'm stuck waiting somewhere, I can get a few rows in.
But it's the fall season and I have some observations.
Heroes (NBC Monday nights) is in the former spot held by Surface. It's pretty slick and the story line is still just introducing the characters. I'm interested, but if they don't move the story along, they're going to lose me. It was a nice twist on the last episode with the Japanese guy (who's name is, ironically enough, Hiro)seeing the bomb and going back in time. If you haven't seen the shows on television, you can always see them on their web-page.
Kidnapped (NBC Wednesdays) versus Vanished (Fox Mondays)
Okay, these two shows are SO similar it's actually hard for me to keep the story's separate. I mean, the bad guys have distinguishing tattoo marks in both shows.
I think Vanished will go the way of the Da Vinci code. I find the name funny - it's a direct rip off of Lost - right down to the way the shows title is presented - black background with white lettering. The jury is out on this one. I think I'm drawn to watching the show because I have a secret crush on Gale Harold - the guy who plays Agent Grahm Kelton. I also have a weakness for liking secret society story lines.
Kidnapped looks like it's a 24 knock off. My thought on Kidnapped is that this season will be about the Timothy Hutton character's family. Next season will be another family - with the main character portrayed by Jeremy Sisto (of Six Feet Under fame). I'm not as drawn to this one as Vanished, but I'm keeping up with the series - for now.
THE BEST NEW SHOW OF THE SEASON: Jericho (CBS Wednesdays)
This show is dark and scary. I mean it's basically The Day After - the series. It's been a surprisingly good show and it's worth watching. I stumbled onto this show while flipping the channel looking for something to watch. I caught the end of the second episode and found it to be really good. I was able to go on-line and get caught up. If you haven't seen this, then get caught up.
Nuclear war scared the hell out of me when I was a kid. In the fifth grade my teacher showed us all the duck and cover movies and also showed us movies about the potential of nuclear war. I had nightmares over this and worried about it.
Jericho brings back some of those old fears.
I'm a reader - I always have a book going. I'd say I read about half an hour to an hour a day.
This summer has been hit and miss in terms of reading.
I borrowed Laura Hamilton's latest book in her Anita the Vampire Hunter series, The Killing Dance.
Note to Ms. Hamilton: Ms. Hamilton, you've really lost me as a reader. Your books have become porn, and are just downright boring. You just haven't written a good book in YEARS and have become lazy. I keep telling myself that I will stop reading the series, but I keep getting the next one in hopes that you will stop being lazy and start writing STORIES. What happened to you? If you're board with Anita, then give the series a rest. I'm a patient fan. I can wait. But you have lost my trust. I will not be reading any more of your books.
Charlaine Harris, on the other hand, is a terrific writer. Her Susie Stackhouse series is just terrific and every novel has a great storyline. I finished reading her Definitely Dead book this summer and enjoyed it immensely. Alan Ball, of Six Feet Under/American Beauty fame must agree - he's currently developing a series for HBO based on this character.
Brava, Ms. Harris. Brava.
And finally, I finished reading Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel's Scion book. I think this was book #4 in that series and it's been terrific. I thought the series had been tied up with the first three, but she did a great job with focusing in on another character. Well worth the read.
I finally started reading the Honor Harrington Series by David Weber. I'm hooked. It's a little like Star Trek, without all the aliens, but with a British Navy perspective. I love strong female protagonists, and Mr. Weber does a great job with Honor Harrington. There's some technical stuff that gets a little dull, but I've found that I can skim it and still get the gist of the narrative. I'm currently reading the second book in the series and am flying through it.
I was able to knit this up on Sunday afternoon/evening.
It's the Monthy Dishcloth Knit-a-long pattern for mid-September. I used SnC Gumdrop. I'm sending it to my sister for her birthday. Here's the final gift:
J had the idea to wrap the dishcloth around the foamy soap. I love how it looks like a snuggly robe. A while back, I bought 5 foaming soaps for $15 from Bath & Body works. I've slowly been sending them out with birthday gifts. I have one left and that's going to be for my mom.
Added Note: Someone from MonthlyDishcloth Yahoo! group has dubbed the above gift as the dishwashing diva.
I love the name!
Here's the front:
Here's the back.
Of course, we're our own worst critics. I just hate how the seams showed on the finished item. If you ask J, he says it looks great.
I knitted this using the 2 year instructions. It looks more like an 18T to me. I attribute this to using a sport weight yarn (verses using the boucle).
I also had to go up on the button size. The pattern said to use 5/16" and I ended up with 9/16". The 5/16" buttons just weren't keeping the cardi closed.
The final recipient is VERY happy with the final result - which makes me happy, too. I've decided to make a custom baby item for my daughter's school auction since this has been received so well.
I opened my email this morning to be faced with this:
While I know nothing is forbidden on Weight Watchers, this Sundae looks like it would cost SO much in points.
Stupid diet. Stupid email.
J writes computer games, so we play a lot of games around here. Puzzle games, board games and card games - to name a few. We don't play a whole lot of video games.
M came home the other day from school with a picture of her own board game. According to M, you use your fingers to trace the stuff on the board. If your finger slips off the stuff, then you die - for pretend.
Just thought it was cute.
Just checking to see when my blog was "born" and - surprise - it's today! I've been keeping it up to date for a whole year!
That's nothing compared to J's blog. He was blogging before the term blog was even coined: Saturday, March 28, 1998.
OTN: Baby Hoodie Cardigan
I have the front and back done. Now I'm working on the first sleeve. I have the second sleeve, the hood and the button border to go - not to mention sewing this puppy up.
I'm not using the Bernat Baby Bouclé yarn as suggested. I'm using the Bernat Baby Coordinates yarn instead. It has a nice shine to it compared to the Bouclé. I don't think it's going to be a problem.
I joined Curves about three months ago. I'm taking it slow by trying to workout three times a week. Like my WW leader says, you have to make sure that you find something sustainable - What you do to lose weight will have to be something you will continue to do while you keep the weight off.
Curves seems to be just the thing for me right now. I feel good after I work out, it's quick, and I'm not sore afterwards.
While I've only lost 7 pounds over the past three months, I have lost a total of 9.5-inches all around my body. My clothes are feeling loser and I noticed the other day that getting up from the floor is much easier. I think I can sustain this.
I was tagged.
Seven favorite songs - this is tough for me as I really don't listen to adult music anymore. It's all kid oriented. When I get time to listen to the radio, I find that I'm a NPR kind of gal. Sorry!
Seven Blogs:
I love the way this little guy turned out! Just love it!
I made him with dried black-eyed peas and even filled the ends of the feet and the mittens with them as well. When I initially filled the legs/feet, they stuck out and I knew that anyone will want the feet to dangle.
Needle size: US 2
Yarn: Toytime DK Flesh for the face, Cascade 220 for the hat and body - Red, Green, and White. Sirdar Foxy - Ermine.
I will heavily modify this pattern the next time I knit it because there is entirely too much sewing involve. A lot of this can be knitted in the round.
I'm trying to get my Yuletide Gnomes done for a charity auction for my daughter's school. Here's a photo of the front:
Here's what the back looks like. I mattress stitched this.
There's a beanbag in the bottom part of the body. The pattern calls for 3 mm needles - which is really a US 2.5. After talking to my fellow knitters, I decided to I use a size 2 needle and I'm glad I did. I've found knitting toys tightly is very important if you don't want the stuffing to peak through.
One thing that I would do differently, though, is to knit this in the round. I've knitted enough toys to be able to cobble together my own version of this. If I do, I'll post the pattern here.
Oh, I used the Sirdar Toytime DK Flesh tone for the face and some left over Cascade 22o green that was left over from another project.
Well I finally finished the hand towel from hell.
I looks very pretty, but I just didn't enjoy knitting it up. I just could not get the pattern down so I could just get into the knitting groove. I am working on a second one in yellow. This one is a stockinette hand towel with a monogram "W" on it (my own design).
It's knitting up fairly quickly as I'm halfway done. Good thing, too. I need to get it done by tomorrow to get it in the mail so it'll make it to Colorado in time for the wedding. I'm knitting them with Plymouth Yarn Wildflower DK. It's a Cotton/Acrylic blend which means they can be machine washed and dried.
Oh, and today is my great-aunt Myrtle's birthday. She's 100 years old today! That's so old. I love my Aunt Myrtle. She's the one relative I met and found relief that there is indeed a reason why I'm as practical as I am. I'm sure every one feels like they are alien to the families they are born into - then you meet the relative who is really the most like you and it just clicks. That's who my Aunt Myrtle is for me. One of my favorite stories about her is that she broke her hip when she was 90. Usually that's a death sentence for folks of that age - I think the statistics for people who die within a year of breaking their hips at that age within a year is pretty high. When I called her to see how she was doing, she said that she was doing just fine and that she told the therapist to give her a walker right away because she was going to walk out of that hospital, thank you very much. And she did. :)
There was a ten year difference between her and my grandmother. My grandmother never did know her father as he died when she was 3 months old. My Aunt Myrtle was basically my grandmother's second parent. They got along really well - I know they spoke on the phone with each other at least once a week. Considering that Aunt Myrtle lives near Defiance, Ohio and my grandmother lived here in Texas, I think that was really wonderful. I don't even do that with my own sister - and she lives 17 miles away (which is close in Texas terms).
I started knitting a dish cloth for a friend who is getting married on September 23rd. I am using the Mason Dixon Moss Squares Dish Cloth pattern and I hate knitting it. I have to get through it and I'm up to 8 square (of 12 total) rows. I can't wait till I'm done with this. The only problem is I can't just give away one dish cloth. I have a second one that will be knitted in yellow. I'll find a pattern that I like better than this one. I just want to be knitting on my Hex coat.
What is SO special about turning five?
I remember when my nephew was four and five just seemed to be a magical age. He could do anything at age five.
Well, we're experiencing a little of that here in our house now that M is four and a half.
She's wearing size 7 clothes now as she's grown quite a bit over the summer. I commented on how long her legs were getting this morning. She said, "Come here, Mama, and let me tell you a secret."
I lean down and let her whisper into my ear, "The reason why my legs are getting long is because I'm almost five."
We also have passes to Six Flags this year. As long as we stay away from buying food, it makes for a very cheap afternoon as everything is paid for - parking, admission, etc. . . Anyway, any ride that M feels is a little scary is always put off till she turns five - because she'll be brave enough then.
Today while I was dropping her off at her school, she saw her new friend, R. M was excited to see him until she realized that I was walking towards R and could even, gasp, talk to him. She starts to get really upset that I may tell R something that she doesn't want him to know. Once we get out of the street, I knelt down to talk to her - because by this time she has tears in her eyes.
"I don't want you to tell him. . ." she sobs.
"You don't want me to tell him what?" I ask.
"I told him that I am five. I don't want you to tell him that I'm only four and a half."
I smile. "Don't worry, M. I won't tell."
I remember being in a big hurry to grow up at this age, too. Now all I want is for time to slow down again.
I finally understand that I knitted the Absorba wrong. I didn't read the instructions as closely as I should have. The pattern calls for specific ridges versus rows. I'm still new at all this knitting stuff, so I can understand why I flubbed this.
I'll get it right on the next one.
Well, M got sick earlier this week. She ran into the living room one night yelling that she was really cold. Sure enough, the poor girl had goosebumps all up and down her body. We went back to her bed to try to get her warm - then she said she was feeling sick. We made it just in time to the bathroom (one of the few times that I didn't end up wearing throw up). She was so cold that her teeth literally were chattering together. She finally got comfortable and we ended up sleeping together out on the couch. She was fine the next day.
Then the next night M got to have a sleep over with Grandma and Grandpa from Nashville in their hotel room (they prefer to stay in a hotel room instead of in people's homes). M had a wonderful time and I think so did Grandma and Grandpa. We ate at the local Waffle House the next morning while sitting on the bar stools. M was in heaven.
J's foot is feeling fine - he's wearing closed-toe shoes now. The poor guy is suffering from allergies now. It seems like he can't get comfortable, poor thing.
Yesterday the two of us played hooky from work in the afternoon and went to see a movie. Little Miss Sunshine. It was a hoot. Alan Arkin was a great crotchety old Grandpa and Greg Kinear (who to this day I'm surprised has a movie career as I remember him from his Talk Soup days) was a great schmaltzy Dad. Each member of the family has great character development and the end of the movie (I won't give the ending away) was just priceless. I laughed out loud and that's a rare thing these days while watching movies. Go see this movie.
OTN: I'm trying to finish up the Mason Dixon Moss Grid Hand Towel for a friend of mine who is getting married on September 23rd. I have to hurry because I want to make a second one, too. I'll post a photo after I get it done. Instead of the Euroflax, I'm knitting it in a cotton/acrylic blend - it looks nice, really. I just didn't want to give something to my friend that couldn't be washed in a machine.
I'm currently debating about what I need to do on the Hex Coat. I'm getting a little nervous that the bottom comes in as much as it does (the pattern called for size 6 needles for the ribbing - I hit gage dead on with the size 8's for the Moss stitch). Since I'm shortening it up a bit, I also don't know where I want to stop. Part of me wants to start over and add some stitches to the bottom to allow it to flare out a bit - a little like a swing coat. But the other part of me HATES swing coats. I guess I'll just have to keep on keepin' on. I hate uncertainty. I do love the way it's knitting up, though. I think I'm going to go and look at some colored yarn to see if any would look good for the hex's.
I finally finished the Mason Dixon Great Absorba Bath Mat. It took me a bit to get the hang of Log Cabin knitting and I frogged this thing at least three times in the process.
I made this out of Peaches n Cream Potpourri double worsted weight (I ordered directly from Elmore Pigsah) yarn. In hindsight, I wish I had ordered the colors that were describe in the MDK book as I think they'd be nice neutral colors and would make great gifts. The pattern calls for the mat to be tiny, so I ended up adding a significant number bars to the mat - so I guess it's more of a rug than a mat. I really like it and know that I'll make two more for my home. Very quick knit, BTW.
This one is destined for my sister-in-law, who ironically, lives in Nashville. It's a birthday gift. I hope she likes it. I'm also going to send her some nice smelling foamy soap.
I have almost 10 inches knitted on the left panel for the Hex Coat. I love the Renolds Lite-Lopi yarn. It's Dark Gray.
I've learned how to do the Noregian Purl and it allows me to knit this up a little faster than I've done in the past. Here's a close up on the seed/moss stitch.
Here's a close up of the indentations where the Hex's will go. They're a little smaller than I had envisioned, but that's fine.
Well, I must admit that I enjoyed participating in Secret Pal 8. It was my first SP swap and it was fun. I would keep up with my pal's blog and try to think of things she would enjoy receiving. Then I'd receive something, too!
Here's what was in the final package my SP sent me:
Bath flakes, bath fizzies (for M), some Cascade elastic cotton yarn for socks, a nifty crossword puzzle to identify who my SP is, and a neat little card with a poncho pattern.
M immediately insisted that she was dirty and needed a bath. The yellow ducky is no more. M proudly announced that her bath water turned yellow - she thought that was cool.
I think my SP is Ceallach. If so, thank you so much for a great SP experience. I'm looking forward to getting to know you through your blog. Purple is my favorite color - how did you know?
To my SP recipient: If you've figured out that I'm your spoiler, please know that you will be receiving a package some time next week. This past few weeks have been crazy - I haven't forgotten about you - truly.
Yay! J is back home! No super nasty bacterial strain (but it was nasty enough). One toe nail short, two nights in the hospital, and a new pair of flip flops later, J is one happy camper just to be HOME! First thing he did was to take a shower - first one in three days.
I'm really glad he's home. It's so nice to have him back.
Well, J is still in the hospital today. The lab results have not come back, so the doctors don't know if he has the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (or MRSA) type of bacterial infection. That's the same type of infection that that woman who died from a pedicure got - thus, the reason why the doctors are being cautious.
Poor J, though. He has not access to the Internet and I know that's really hard on him.
We're doing okay holding down the home front. Today is M's first day back to school and she's incredibly happy to be going back. She wanted us to do our normal school day routine in the same order as we did before. She wouldn't brush her hair before she had her breakfast because, "Momma, we brush our hair AFTER breakfast, silly."
I asked if she wanted me to bring her into school or to drop her off at the curb. She wanted to be dropped off at the curb. She really, really likes her school routine. Miss M (her teacher) mentioned that M may be put up into the Primary class (which is essentially Montessori Kindergarten) since M has been reading. We'll see. I really don't want to push her, but she is SO ready for Primary work.
Last night was Stitch n Bitch night and I was very fortunate that one of my neighbors was gracious enough to watch M. She loves going over there. I didn't stay long as I had to get little girls into bed for school the next day. I showed off my finished yarn bag. I initially started to crochet it for my SP8, but then fell in love with the idea of having my own. I'll still send it to my SP with some yarn I got for my reveal package. I'm also going to send her the Flying Spaghetti Monster with some instructions on how to make it.
Here's the finished yarn bag. I love the yarn - it's really coppery and gold-ish.
I'm definitely going to crochet one for me next.
While at SnB, I had started my knitting guild homework for a child's fair-isle hat using some of my stash cotton. I guess I'm stressing a bit with J being in the hospital. He's always around the house and I miss him terribly. I had a heck of a time sleeping last night so I finished the silly hat.
I'm also using the cable needles MY SP sent me. Here's a cotton dishrag that I'm knitting. My more experienced SnB knitting friends told me that I was crazy for doing cables with cotton. I wanted to try cabling and I haven't figured out what I'm going to knit with the great super wash wool I got from my SP yet.
Well, J has been a bit of a butt all last week. He was sick with allergies and I generally try to avoid him when he gets sick - and that's really what he wants - to be left alone.
Yesterday I had had enough and told him that I was going to call and make an appointment for him with our doctor. He refused to go, so I didn't make the appointment.
Scan to later in the day . . .
He started to have some trouble walking and mentioned that his in-grown toe nail was starting to hurt. Okay. Another thing for me to avoid, I think.
We went to the parents orientation last night, so he had to walk on his feet. We came home and he took his shoes off. His left big toe had started to swell. So we elevated it, I gave him some Tylenol PM and a baggie of ice to try to get the swelling down.
He went to bed and was really, really uncomfortable. He got up and went into the living room so he wouldn't bother me. About 4 am he came in and asked when the doctor's office was going to be open. I told him around 8 am, but it may be longer as I didn't know when there would be an open appointment for us to go. J limped back to the living room.
Well, it was 4 am and I didn't want to get up, but my big clue that he was really not feeling good was that he WANTED to go to the doctor's office. J does NOT like to go to the doctors and will avoid it at all costs.
I went into the living room and turned on the light to look at the toe. It actually was twice the size I saw from last night - and let me tell you, it was BIG last night. This time, however, the toe had turned all sorts of different colors - yellow, purple, blue. It was really, really colorful and looked incredibly painful.
I told J that we weren't going to wait for morning. I had visions on him not being able to get up and stumble to the car, so we went to the emergency room.
Once we got there, the ER doc immediately said that he was going to be admitted and that he had a bacterial infection that has spread to J's blood stream.
WOW!
Turns out, J didn't have an in-grown toe nail. His toe cuticle had become infected which in turn traveled up into the blood stream. What really has the doctors concerned is the speed of the infection. It traveled FAST. He's going to get a podiatrist consult to make sure the other toes don't do this, either. We're also waiting to find out what type of bacterial infection it is - it could be one that is very tough to get rid of. If not, then it's just a simple course of antibiotic pills and he can go home tomorrow.
M got a little teary this morning after the doctor said we could go home. Last time someone she loved was in the hospital was Grandma. She was a little scared about her Dad being in the hospital. J picked up on why and was able to get her calmed down. She still worries about her dad, but we visited him today at the hospital and he's remarkably much more comfortable than when we initially left him at the ER.
that Blue's favorite number is 100 - just like M's favorite number?
Yes, I'm babysitting my kid with the television for a few days because she's home. No summer school, no swim school, no school period. School starts next Wednesday and it can't come any sooner.
M loves watching television and I feel somewhat guilty for using it to babysit her - but I can't get anything done if she's under foot upstairs in my office. We usually have her hopping from event to event, so this down time is just fine - or so I'm telling myself.
I'm fairly happy with what she's watching. Noggin has no commercials and neither does PBS. Occasionally we'll watch something on Nickelodeon or Disney and she'll ask for everything that's being advertised. The quality of children's programming has improved so much since I was a kid.
M came up to my office yesterday and was very proud.
"Mama, I tied my own shoes!"
I think it's time to teach her how to tie shoes. . . after I get these knots out.
I came across a tutorial that shows you how to make your own clothing labels. Here's a photo of my attempt.
Sorry it's so blurry. It says "Snakes on a Sweater for Carter - 100% Cotton - Machine Wash & Dry"
Things I learned:
I finished the Snake Charmer from Knitty. I like it. Here's a photo from the front.
A close up on a snake
From the back.
My local knitting guild just had a class on how to pick up stitches in curved areas (i.e., the neck area). I'm pretty happy with the results and glad I went - the information was very timely. The only thing is, I ended up picking up more stitches than what was called for in the pattern. So I ended up making the hood much bigger than I anticipated. But it still works!
I knitted this with four balls of 2 oz SnC in the Summer Breeze colorway using the 3-6 month size in the pattern. It was worsted weight yarn, which I think is heavier than what was called for in the pattern, but who cares. It worked.
The pattern called for 6 snakes. I just liked the three since the yarn color is so busy.
Isn't it cute?
Remember summer reading programs from your local library? My mom is an avid reader and we'd go to the library at least once a week. Her best advice to me is to NEVER tick off the librarian as she/he has the power to make your life miserable.
Since M is doing some rudimentary reading, we decided to enroll her in our library's program. We belong to two library's because our local one is a bit limited. M read 15 books this summer and got to pick prizes from both libraries. At one of the libraries, she picked an inflatable ball after she finished reading her first five books. She picked a little blue rubber ballerina doll (who she has now named Pretty Sparkle) when she reached 10 books. We sort of blackmailed her into reading the next five books in that we said she could get a friend for her ballerina.
Here are her dolls: Princess (orange) and Pretty Sparkle (blue).
She loves to pose them and pretend they dance.
August Dishcloth KAL is done and it's a lighthouse. I picked a good color to knit it in.
I actually figured it out by day four and found the original free pattern on-line and finished it up early. I like the Dishcloth KAL because I can get one done in between projects. It takes me about 30 minutes to do the 10 rows - which is a great lunchtime break.
I've also just cast on to knit up the Knitty Snake Charmer cardigan. It's for a long time family friend of my husband's. They just had child #2. I'm going to make it with the hood in a size 3 - 6 months. The idea being they'd use it when it gets cooler. They live in way south Texas, so it never really gets too cold.
It's so nice to have a kiddo - really, it is. She gets such simple joy from life.
I made her a scrubby from some cotton yarn I have in my stash. She was so happy to get it. The other morning when I gave it to her, she got it, said, "You are SO nice, Momma" and proceeded to jump on my bed while saying "scrubby!" every time she bounced.
Here's a photo of the little rug rat with her prized scrubby.
Gotta love the grin!
I was reading another blog and they mentioned that if I read the questions to consider myself tagged.
What was the scariest thing (or one of them if you’ve had many adventures) you ever experienced?
Almost falling off of a very steep cliff. I'm still very glad the cable "fence" held because I know I'd be a goner right now.
Do you plan to retire where you are right now or move somewhere else?
Since we lived in our previous house for 13 years and have been here for only two, the plan is to get this place paid off and live in it until we can't get up and down the steps anymore.
Three little gifts you’re always glad to get:
