30 Days!

And 30 posts!

Here's a wrap-up of a month of posts:

Photos of Alison: 9
Photos of Emily: 11
Liquid Candy Bars Eaten: 1
Sweaters Knitted: 1
Soccer Games Attended: 4
Memes: 2ish
Comments: 27 (thanks friends)

Thanks for bearing with me. I won't be posting every day, but have a renewed love for posting. Talk to you soon (but not tomorrow). :)

Day 29: A Total Cop-out

But it's for a good cause.

Go here.

Link to the post.

Ping technorati.

Poor starving college students everywhere will feel your support like a warm hug.

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It's been a long day and I just want a Milky Way.

A Million Ends

that need to be woven in. Ick! But I'm going to count this as one more Christmas gift done!



This little project (which I can't go into great detail about) took under two days and I'm just a little impressed with myself. More details after Christmas. :)

Take a Deep Breath

Over a lovely pizza-rific lunch with Nicole today I had a happy realization. I am 100% capable of completing my gift knitting. Hooray!

In other news, Wayne and I will be going to Atlanta for a handful of days in December for our 5th anniversary. I'm really excited! A lot of our friends at our new church are from Atlanta so we've been picking their brains for ideas of where we should go.

We'll be dining at Dante's Down the Hatch, visiting Stone Mountain Park (maybe with our bikes) and hitting the IKEA store.

Happy accident: the traditional gift for a 5th wedding anniversary is wood. We were kicking around ideas while shopping on Friday and remembered that we really need nightstands. So we looked at some and experienced a bit of sticker shock. We wished that the IKEA they're building in South Orlando was finished and then - we remembered there's an IKEA in Atlanta!

So we'll be able to buy our gifts on our trip. Woo hoo!

Can anyone recommend any good yarn shops in Hot-lanta???

more Christmas gifts to knit

Baby gifts, done!

Shorter list of Christmas gifts to knit, yet to do.

Only 4 more days of NaBloPoMo, can you believe it??

Back to Christmas knitting!

Another Reason to LOVE Old Navy

Or how I got an amazing deal, just for being nice.

We stopped by Old Navy this evening, thinking that the frenzy of shopping would have subsided and there may be some clothes left. We were mostly right. The frenzy wasn't so frantic, but the clothes were mostly on the ground. Apparently a herd of frenzy had preceded us.

There was this poor girl trying to rehang everything and make sure it all had tags. I joked around with her for a bit while Alison commented on the fact that the people who put these clothes on the ground were terribly impolite.

We all agreed.

So we grabbed a couple of long sleeves shirts for the girls, Emmy's were supposed to be 2 for $12, but one of them was marked $2.97. Ali's were supposed to be 2 for $15. Well we get up to the register and the next thing we know the guy tells us our total is $12.87!

He rang everything up for $2.97 a piece!

What a blessing those Old Navy friends were tonight. :)

Wayne's Sweater

Men's Zippered Raglan from Last Minute Knitted Gifts

Size: Medium (extra long)

Started: October 5th, 2006

Finished: November 24th, 2006

Handpainted yarns Handspun Kettle-dyed Wool in Black Forest

US size 8 16" Addi Turbos, US size 8 32" Susan Bates Metal Circs.

I am that shopper

I'm so exhausted.

Today we shopped like nobody's business.

And we stood on line. A lot.

And Wayne wouldn't let me knit in line, he said it was rude.

I told him, so is frowning.

Lots of Christmas gifts purchased, more to knit. Must knit the gifts.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Things I'm Thankful for:

My husband: he's my best friend, greatest ally, love of my life, support system, and smokin' hot in my opinion.








Alison: my best big girl, an adventure in parenting, a source of copious hugs and kisses, my palison.







Emily: Supergirl, wonderful sleeper, a beautiful smile, my anenome (it rhymes)

The rest of my family, too: My Mom who will help anyone, anytime; My Dad for his corny jokes and general Daddy-ness; My sister Aileen, who's busy making us more family members, congratulations Beanie!; My sister Erin who can't put my children down (or stop buying them clothes) but neither of those things are necessarily a bad thing.

God, for sending his only Son to die for me, little, insignificant me.

My friends that I can count as dear to me: Carlin, Nicole, Jany, Alison, Lisa, Andria, Victoria - I love you ladies!

All yarn manufacturers and yarn stores worldwide, without which I would have nothing to knit.

My house, my enormous American truck, my Addi Turbos.

What are you thankful for??

They can't say it if it isn't true

SNOW!!

I live in Orange County, one of the prominently mentioned counties listed during the weather report this morning. I can't believe I slept through this!

Sibling Rivalry

I spent my evening watching a friend of mine's children so that she could go out to a romantic dinner with her husband for her birthday. Alison had a great time playing with them and we had a fun night.

However, at one point in the evening, when the 3.5 year old was getting pummeled by the 20-month old, I had a moment of clarity. My sisters and I used to fight like this when we were kids.

The same kicking and hair pulling and scratching.

The same screaming and sitting on and petty reasons.

And then I realized that this is what I have to look forward to with my lovely ladies. Right now, Emmy will pull Ali's hair and it's funny, but the time is coming soon when she may get her hair pulled back.

Pray for my sanity.

Almost there

My wonderful Mom is going to sew in the zipper on Friday, then we'll have one warm Wayne. :)

Three **** Inches!!!

I only have the last 3 inches of the collar of Wayne's sweater left to knit and I JUST RAN OUT OF YARN!!!! Grr.. Not altogether, I'd die if that were the case. But now I have to stop and wind a-whole-nother ball which means I won't finish knitting it tonight. Hopes dashed once again.

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After a lovely morning at church, we went to the Orange County Fair and nobody died and no rides fell apart. In fact, we got unlimited ride wristbands and wore the heck out of them. Alison wanted to go on everything, and I pretty sure she made it on to every ride she was tall enough for. We were accompanied by one of her friends from soccer and his family and it was a lot of fun to have a closely-aged friend along.

Highlights of the day include, but are not limited to: bumper cars (Mommy vs. Daddy & Alison), the liger at the circus, and holding hands with my husband.



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To my secret pal: I read the jacket, just the jacket of my wonderful book and immediately knew that it was a heavy vacuum of time. I may have to wait to read it until after Christmas, but I am totally psyched to read it! :)

Super Fun Saturday

We had a big day and I'm really sleepy.

Ali had soccer pics today before her game so we had to be there at 8AM - that's early to wrangle together all the Tingles. Very early. Today they played really well and won their 3rd game in a row. The SURGE are currently undefeated!

One of my favorite things about the games is that at the end, after the teams high-5 and do their 'good games', all the parents go out to the half field line and make a tunnel with our arms and cheer as our happy little players run through. It helps you reconnect to the idea that we're here for our kids to have fun, no matter how they play. Their smiles as they run through 'the tunnel' are priceless. Maybe one of these days I'll get a picture of Ali on her way out.

We rushed around dropping things off that needed to be returned and then rushed home to get ready for our next activity: The Corn Maze!

Our friends, the Camps, accompanied us out to Mt. Dora and ran around in the corn with us for a couple hours. It was a lot of fun and I took a few pictures, but they're all of the Camps, no Tingles. Grr.

Must sleep.

Grab Bag

I totally flaked on my 'Thursdays are for Recipes' thing, so here's one just a little late.

Green Beans with Garlic

INGREDIENTS

1 tsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. butter
4 large cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 14 0z can of chicken broth
1/2 tsp. sugar
1.5 lbs. fresh grean beans cut into bite-size pieces

DIRECTIONS

In saucepan place olive oil and butter over mediumheat; add garlic and onion. Cook and stir constantly until tender, about 3 minutes.

Add chicken broth, sugar and pepper to taste. Bring to boiling; add green beans. Return to boiling, cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer 10 to 15 minutes or to desired tenderness.

Serve hot.

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In reponse to the copious comments on that last post - Thanks! I've been laughing all morning at each respondents take on the whole shebang. Maggie did her homework. My secret pal shared my Mommy-ness. And Anne-Marie couldn't help but notice that I live 'at Disney World' - I remark back that there is a marked difference in carnival money and the amount of money you spend with the Mouse. :)

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Also today I received an order I'd placed from RubySapphire yarns today and it is gorgeous! I can't show you what I ordered 'cause sadly, none of it's for me and I don't want to ruin any surprises. But what I can show you are the cutie extras they sent along:



Little marble magnets, mini Tootsie Pops and the cutest keychain EVER! It's a miniature hank of hand-dyed yarn. And it's SOFT! My keys are very happy. :)

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I may post again later as I have high, high hopes of having a finished sweater to show you. Disclaimer: I often have high hopes that don't turn out, so I'm not going to beat myself up about it if it doesn't happen.

Convicts

Do any of you have that person in your family or are you that person who believes that all carnival/fair rides are assembled by convicts??

Do you tell these things to your 4-year-old??

The Orange County Fair is in town and we have to drive by it on the way to dance class and the library and the pizza restaurant. Alison is wicked excited about it - they even have a circus (something that I can't help but feel conflicted about) - and Wayne's being dodgey about the whole thing.

Does anyone know if this theory is even true??

Taste Test: Lava Bars

You may remember that a month or so ago I received 2 Lava Bars - the world's first liquid chocolate bar - from Nicole. Well tonight after soccer practice I put together my panel of taste testers.




Okay, so Emily didn't test the bars, but she wanted to show you that she can sit up. Supported, but up nonetheless.

I squeezed a generous portion of bar on to each testers finger and asked them what they thought.

Alison said, "Great! Can I have some more?"

I was undecided. It has a weird aftertaste.

And Wayne said, "Horrible!"

Emily wanted you to know that she can stand up too. :)

So I'm going to let Ali finish off the one we opened slowly over the next week or so, if it stays fresh in the Ziploc baggie, but the second one is up for grabs.

Leave a comment by Friday at noon - Florida time - and I'll draw a winner and send it off for you to try. :)

meme-a-licious

This is cute and I found it here. An equally cute blog if I do say so myself. :) You can only answer with one word. Just one.

1. Yourself: mommy
2. Your boyfriend/girlfriend (spouse): incredible
3. Your hair: long
4. Your mother: caring
5. Your Father: photographer
6. Your Favorite Item: Noro
7. Your dream last night: running
8. Your Favorite drink: g&t
9. Your Dream Car: landrover
10. The room you are in: warm
11. Your Ex: ick
12. Your fear: harm
13. What you want to be in 10 years? filmmaker
14. Who you hung out with last night? kiddos
15. What You’re Not? competitive
16. Muffins: chocolate
17. One of Your Wish List Items: needles
18. Time: late
19. The Last Thing You Did: knit
20. What You Are Wearing: jammies
21. Your Favorite Weather: snowy
22. Your Favorite Book: atwood
23. The Last Thing You Ate: pringle
24. Your Life: amazing
25. Your Mood: sleepy
26. Your best friend: Wayne
27. What are you thinking about right now? sleep
28. Your car: big
29. What are you doing at the moment? blogging
30. Your summer: hot
31. Your relationship status: life
32. What is on your TV? Law&Order:CI
33. What is the weather like? chilly
34. When is the last time you laughed? B&N

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So you're wondering about the sleeves, right? I finished them this morning. Last night was looking good, until I ran out of yarn. And there was no way I was going to stay up long enough to wind another ball and knit the last 2 inches.

I started on the yoke this afternoon and completed a whopping 2 rows during SnB tonight. There are a lot of stitches. I swear.

Holy Stockinette Batman!

Bam! Do you see that??? The bottom sleeve is Sleeve 1 for Wayne's sweater, you may remember my triumphant completion of it on Friday. The top sleeve is Sleeve 2! Can you believe it?? I was really hoping to finish it today (and still may) so I kept putting off posting. I'm so proud of myself.

I'm starting to get an idea about setting a deadline for the whole shebang, but don't want to jinx myself.

Pow!

Feeding the Fiber Beast

14 Ways to Afford a Yarn Addiction Without Breaking the Bank

1. Stalk the sales – get on your LYS mailing list to know when they’re coming up and be price aware. Know you’re getting a real deal.

2. Unravel your duds – Take apart a sweater or blanket you already have and never wear.

3. Hit the thrift stores – You can find needles, yarn and garments to pull apart (see Idea 2)

4. Teach – Yarn stores and craft stores are always looking for competent knitting teachers, you could end up with a steep discount or free yarn, plus a little moola in your pocket.

5. Trade up – Participate in a yarn swap.

6. Start a finishing business – If you are really good at seaming sweaters or installing zippers, offer to do it for your knitting friends for yarn money.

7. Know your online discounters – Don’t miss out on hefty discounts at sites like élann.com, gotyarn.com and onefineyarn.com.

8. Bid wisely – eBay is a great place to get yarn, but make sure you’re not ending up paying more. Double check the price at your LYS and remember you’ll be paying additional shipping.

9. Go pro – Set up a booth at a Farmer’s Market or create your own etsy.com store and sell your goodies.

10. Work part-time at your LYS – Your not going to get rich working part-time, but the discount could be worth it.

11. Develop your own patterns – You can sell them online or submit them to knitting magazines.

12. Roll your own – Start spinning! It’s fun and relaxing and in the end a little less expensive.

13. Knit a sample – Lusting after a new hot design, but can’t afford the yarn? Ask you local shop owner if she’ll discount the supplies if you let her display the item for a season.

14. Ask for the gift of yarn – Birthdays, Christmas, Easter, any holiday or gift-giving occasion can be your ticket to free yarn. Try setting up a wish list online at wists.com.

Veteran's Day

Today is Veteran's Day here in the good old U. S. of A. and I'm happy to personally know so many brave people who have stood and fought for and to protect my freedom.

Harley Bernard Triller, my Pop Pop, veteran of the Army
William Cleveland Tingle III, my grandfather-in-law, veteran of the Air Force and Navy
Robert Tingle, my father-in-law, veteran of the Air Force
Jason Sewell, my brother-in-law, veteran of the Marines
Rodney Sammy-Guilarte, a good friend, currently serving as an active Marine

My thanks goes out to them and the thousands of other soldiers actively serving and retired. You make me proud to be an American.

A blog a day . . .

. . . can start to drive you batty. But here we are on day 10 of the NaBlPoMo challenge and still going strong.

Great knitting news: I finished the first sleeve for Wayne's sweater. This has really been a labor of love. I thought I had it finished earlier today, but wanted to check it on his arm before I started attaching it to the body - good thing too. I had to knit 3 more inches!! I don't know how he got so long.

I'm planning on casting on sleeve 2 tonight while he's at band practice. I estimate that it'll take me a week to finish it, but keep your fingers (and needles) crossed that it'll go faster.

Also pictured above are crazy kids. Emmy looking like she belongs in The Shining, Ali and her friend Landon playing the other day.

And a close-up of a fun and sparkly Christmas gift for a great friend. Could it be you?? According to the sign at Wal*Mart, you've got 44 more shopping dates to wait and see.

O, and I haven't forgotten about you Harvest Sock swap buddy - I'm getting some finishing touches for your package together today and will be posting your package on Monday.

Happy Friday!

Thursdays are for . . .

Yummy recipes!

Here's one to enjoy with your family:

Baked Potato Soup

INGREDIENTS
12 slices bacon
2/3 cup margarine
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
7 cups milk
4 large baked potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 green onions, chopped
1 1/4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS
Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium heat until browned. Drain, crumble, and set aside.
In a stock pot or Dutch oven, melt the margarine over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Gradually stir in milk, whisking constantly until thickened. Stir in potatoes and onions. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Mix in bacon, cheese, sour cream, salt, and pepper. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until cheese is melted.

Makes 6 servings.

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There are lots of great ways to modify this recipe: use soy milk, add broccoli, omit the bacon. It's not the healthiest, but it'll warm you up and stick to your bones on a cold night after soccer practice. :)

Brits in Knits!

My dear friend, Lindsay, and her daughter Jocelyn came to visit today. They live in England as missionaries and we don't get to see them very often - as an aside, if you're looking for a great missions experience, or some missionaries to send some money to, please check out their blog.

Lindsay commisioned me to make a Pinwheel Sweater for Jocelyn and I think it's a winner. The colors look great on her and it fits well too. Kinda hard to tell in the photo 'cause 1-year-olds are wiggly. :)

Bandwagon

If ever there was one to jump on, this is it --

If your concerned that your only choice is to pick the lesser of two evils, think about it again. Lesser is better than greater. Don't let others make your choice, exercise your right to vote!

I'll be off my soapbox tomorrow, I promise. :)

As Promised

A little bit of knitting. :) I cast-on for a diagonal baby blanket for that audacious baby - it's a boy! I can hardly believe it, no one has boys anymore. I picked up this crazy soft and beautiful yarn during my trip to AC Moore last week. It's James C. Brett 'Marble' and I love how it's plied. There's a light blue strand and a verigated strand and it knits up cute!

I'm kamikaze knitting the sleeves for Wayne's sweater.

You know when you're reading through a pattern - say the first time you did short rows, for instance - and it said 'turn your work'. Didn't you sit there thinking, 'No way, they can't possibly want me to actually turn my work around, there are still stitches here to be knit. I should call someone.' So you call a knitting friend who's been knitting longer than you and they try to explain that it's okay, but you're still a little incredulous. So you google this 'turn your work' madness and more people seem to think it's okay. So you do it. And in the end, it is okay.

That's what I refer to as kamikaze knitting. I am in disagreement with the pattern for Wayne's sleeves, but it's working. So I trudge on.

One of these things is not like the others. I knit the same secret Christmas project from these 3 balls of cotton. All the same brand. All the same size when I started and here's what I have left from each of them. I can't explain it. The finished projects are also the same size. Needless to say, I won't get 2 out of the verigated ball. It was my favorite too.



And just when you thought I couldn't get craftier - I made some baby food for Em. Her pediatrician says it's time to start solids so we're starting with Sweet Potatoes. Ta da.

Busy Weekend

Emmy started eating.

Ali had her first game.

Wonderful family fun was had by all.



Is it lame that since I dedicated myself to blog everyday, I've been writing shorter blogs??



Tomorrow there will be knitting. Lots and lots of knitting. :)

Ask and you shall . . .

. . . receive links. Thanks my knitting friends for the following links about scok blockers!

Blockers you can buy:

http://stores.ebay.com/CHAPPYS-FIBER-ARTS-AND-CRAFTS

http://www.elann.com/productdisp.asp?NAME=Fiber+Trends+Sock+Blockers&Cat=&ProductType=9&Count=34

Or make yourself:

http://www.needletrax.com/blockers.htm

I may try my hand at the hanger ones after the chiquitas go to bed tonight. I'll keep you posted. Thanks!

Sock Blockers

Where do you get these things? Is this even what they're called? You know those cutie things that people take pictures of their socks on looking perfect and totally showing off the pattern with brilliant clarity?

I need them.

I've been reading quite a few Socktoberfest retrospectives and I'm seeing these jobbies everywhere.

I need them.

So if you know where I can buy some, or if you know me and are buying me Christmas presents, or if you are a secret pal - please, please, pretty please hook me up.

Our Trip to Build A Bear Workshop

(or How to spend $50 in under 5 minutes)

This morning was Alison's 4-year and Emily's 4-month checkup. They both received 3 shots and screamed like crazies. I discussed the screaming with Alison before we went and told her that since she's 4 now, she should try to maintain a little dignity and be tough. We could be sad, because shots do if fact hurt, but it wouldn't be necessary to make a scene. If we managed to not make a scene I promised to take her to Build-A-Bear Workshop.

No scene was made, although that kid can scream like a crazy. Emily too. But they quickly settled back down and declared themselves ready for the mall.

If the shots were the only tricky part of the visit, we would have fared better. But I was exhausted by the time we left from the 10 trips to the potty to pee in the cup. Why do they make 4 year olds pee in cups?? It's just plain Mommy torture.

I didn't get any pics of the bear assembling due to the fact that I have worked up a pretty decent cold and I was just trying to stay awake to fend off any offers of $14 bear shoes or $6 bear noises. Those people are tricky, they don't even make eye contact with adults, they just offer everything to your child and let you break their hearts if necessary.

Alison and I had a long talk on the way there about setting a spending limit and not going too crazy. She reasoned that if we spent too much money today, we wouldn't have any left for Christmas. I figured that if that was how she would understand it, I'd go along with it. We were further helped out by a gift card she'd received from a friend for her birthday in September.

The actual bear assembling doesn't take very long and before you know it you're standing there with a fluffy animal that you now have to dress. Alison picked out an outfit designed by the Limited Too and as I was putting it on her Hello Kitty, I realized that this doll is roughly the size of Emily. That means that we don't have to go buy more clothes, she can have Emily's hand-me-downs. :)

In the end we had fun, we are the proud owners of a Hello Kitty named Fluffy who meows when you squeeze her paw, and I'm off to take a nap, hoping to stave off a full blown cold.

No Pics

But I'm posting anyway.

I've jumped on the National Blog Posting Month bandwagon and will be posting once a day for the whole month of November. I'm considering different themes for each week/day. And I may post a photo of the girls with each post as a snapshot of a month in their lives. I wonder how much different they'll look on Dec. 1st?

Anyway, today was filled with Dads. Wayne took his Dad to the hospital to follow-up with the dr after his heartattack over the weekend. I took my Dad to the airport to go to Paraguay. And Alison and Emily have been loving on their Dad, 'cause he's been home all afternoon.

Darn this blogger and the pics being down. Ick.