You say you want a revolution . . .

http://mygooddeed.org/

Challenge yourself to turn tragedy into success. :)

Looking up

Things are starting to get back to normal here. The services over the weekend were absolutely lovely and provided some closure and encouragement. We were blown away by the number of people who had been touched by Bob and came out to celebrate him. Wayne spoke at both the funeral and the memorial service and he was strong and eloquent.

Alison did very well at the funeral, it was open casket and she didn't go any closer than she was comfortable with, but loved visiting with people and talking about Papa. Wayne sat up front with his Mom, but Ali and I sat in the back row and each time they played one of Bob's favorite songs, she'd get up and dance around and talk about how much she likes that song.

Bob belonged to a Harley owner's group and they came to the funeral and led the procession to the cemetery. They were loud, but easy to follow. And the VFW that Bob belonged to is dedicating their new motorcycle parking area to him with a plaque and ceremony.

When I dropped Ali off at school this morning there was a card in her folder from her class. It was your standard sympathy/we're praying for you card, but it had been signed by her teachers and all of her classmates - like they were little office workers. I thought it was adorable.

I need to get a move on those fortune cookies, and hopefully I'll be home more this week to do so . . .

Plans . . .

Plans have been arranged, insurance is being processed, Florida Highway Patrol is wrapping up their investigation (it was an accident, a horrible accident).

I feel so much and don't know what to do, so I keep busying myself with tasks. Wayne's been staying at his Mom's, but hopefully he'll be home this weekend - I miss the comfort of having him here.

Thank you all for your kind words and prayers. In the midst of everything, we feel very loved.

My heart hurts

On Saturday morning Wayne's dad was killed in a motorcycle accident. We're grieving and any and all prayers are greatly appreciated.

I know that today is not yesterday, but we'll get to that in a minute. My sister Erin is getting married in January and as the bridesmaid that lives closest (i.e. not Colorado), I'm in charge of the bridal shower.

The wedding has an Asian theme, based around the cherry blossom, so I thought it would be cute if the shower followed suit. Enter Nicole's Monday Loves and the absolute perfect pattern for favors: Felted Fortune Cookies.

This whole plan almost fell apart when just a few hours after I knit up the first 'test' cookie Erin called to ask me how to w&t. I thought it was a strange question (and alarming 'cause these call for lots of short rows) so I asked what she was making. She replies that she found this adorable pattern for felted fortune cookies online and was thinking about making them for each and every person coming to the wedding.

An aside: I am pretty sure that I can knit the 25 necessary for her shower between now and early November, but her stating that she was going to knit almost 100 for her mid-January wedding seemed crazy.

I tried and tried to convince her it wasn't a great idea without actually coming out and telling her my plan. I mentioned things like the number of people coming, her inability to knit short rows at this time and lastly I topped it off with mentioning how most people put wedding favors in their 'dressy purses' and don't think about them again until their putting in their lipstick for the next wedding/event.

None of these things would dissuade her, she was still saying things like, "I'll just talk to Paul about it." That was it, I spilled the beans about my wanting to make them. She acquiesced and it's on.

I settled on Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool 'cause the skein is huge and the color is pretty accurate. The 'test cookie' is the orange one, knit in Cascade 220 and not quite following the pattern. I didn't realize there was a Line 5 on the 2nd page and omitted it. To be perfectly honest, I'm happier with the one I did wrong.



And for all of you living your lives thinking that you know how to fold a fortune cookie, think again. When the rubber met the road, this chica ran into quite a few problematic folds before she got it right. *Note actually fortune cookie from Pei Wei for comparison.



Yesterday's posting was delayed by the fact that I locked myself out of the house. Technically I lost my house key, but in the end, I was outside and everything I had to do was inside. Armed with barely enough formula and my check card we managed to entertain and feed ourselves for 7 hours at the mall. It wasn't pretty.

Totally flattered

My lovely friend Nicole tagged me as a Rockin' Girl Blogger! Thanks 'Cool!!

I tag . . .

Ann-Marie
Yvonne
Chick
Harriet
Julie

---

Tonight is knitting and hopefully tomorrow will be 'put an end to mumblings of put some darn pictures on your blog' day. Hopefully. :)

NoOne

For the last few months, Wayne and I have noticed Alison talking.

Not to either of us, but to her room full of no one. You'll ask her to go dance in her room and before the door closes, you can clearly hear her say, "My mom says come dance in my room." Or, "My Mom says this blue skirt doesn't go with that yellow shirt." Or, "My Dad hates leggings."

Tonight I decided to ask her about it. "To whom are you talking Alison?"

"A friend."

"A boy friend or a girl friend?"

"A girl."

"Does she have a name?"

"Yes. But you can't know it."

With that she walked away.

I figure it's normal, she's almost 5 and loves to talk, why not think someone up who hangs out in your room and wants to know every little thing about your day.

However, it is also occasionally hilarious.

Moments ago, while listening to Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" she loudly sang out, "The smell of wine and chee merfue . . ."

Then looked over at NoOne, laughed and said, "No, I have no idea what chee merfue is, but it's so lovely to sing."

OMG!!

There's a new show on the Noggin that we'd missed until today - it's on when Ali's at school. But I sure am glad we caught it. Click this and watch.

There are no words.

Except how much more do I pink, sparkly puff-paint heart Elijah Wood?? :)

And the knits keep coming . . .

Erin's Clapotis is coming along beautifully. I've finished the increases and started the 'body' of the shawl. Dropping the first stitch was a little nerve-wracking, but I totally heart how this yarn drapes with the dropped stitches. It's lovely.

Thanks to everyone for their recipes and ideas. To answer a few questions. Legumes are not included, they're too starchy and I'd have to count them against my carbs, which I prefer to reserve for breads and chocolate. :) I don't have to eat 3 cups of cooked veggies, it's 3 cups raw or 1.5 cups cooked - I just prefer raw veggies.

The first week of school is over and it went great. We had more tears at pick-up than drop-off, but they tapered off around Wednesday. And today we got an awesome compliment from Ali's teacher. She asked me if Ali had every been to school before and when I said no she was suprised. She said she's very intelligent for not having been to school before. Very intelligent! It makes me feel like I'm doing a great job.

Back to knitting, I'm thinking of knitting a Everlasting Bagstopper for Ali for soccer. I've got tons of cotton and it would be nice for the soccer ball to have some where else to live beside banging around in the back of my truck.

PreK!!

My baby started school today. I have to admit, my heart is a little sad. She's only going from 9a - 12p, but we've been together every minute of every day for almost 5 years now. I'm very proud of how brave she was when I dropped her off and can't wait to pick her up so she can tell me all about it.

I have to admit, the quiet is a little nice. (Emily's napping.) :)

3 cups!!!

I'm participating in a drug research study/lifestyle modification program for Type 2 diabetics. I get to take this new drug (or not, it could be a placebo) that is supposed to aid diabetics in keeping their sugars under control and losing weight. In addition, I get to meet with a dietician and follow meal plans (or not, it's really up to me).

Wednesday morning I met with the dietician to get my meal plans. Ultimately, she did a really great job of taking the information I gave her about my eating habits (I don't drink milk, I can't eat a morning snack, I love a nighttime snack) and formulating a meal plan that suits me.

But I was completely blindsided by the amount of vegetables I have to eat. Three cups of veggies at lunch and at dinner!! Three cups!!

I've only been following the plan for two days now and I'm overwhelmed by salads, carrot sticks, etc . . .

Wayne says I should just drink V8, but I can't think of a more disgusting idea.

Does anyone have any interesting salad ideas?? I'm a little picky, but I also can't eat the same thing everyday so maybe this is my time to broaden my horizons. :)

Leave a comment with the recipe or link to it.

Love it, Like it, No way!

From Grumperina, et al

What are your limits when it comes to creative pursuits?

Love it! This is my thing: baking, knitting, photography, writing

I do or have dabbled in it: beading, cooking, crochet, sewing, web design, yarn dyeing, felting, cross-stitch, scrapbooking, cardmaking

I’ll give it a try: decoupage, glass blowing, soap making, spinning, pottery, designing/pattern writing, faux painting, interior design, book-binding, printing presswork

I’ve got absolutely no interest: applique, balloon animals, basket weaving, gardening, calligraphy, candle making, doll houses, etching, flower arranging, glass bead making, lace making (needle lace, cutwork), millinery, miniatures, painting/drawing, rug hooking, tatting, wood carving, woodworking

How about you? Where do you draw the line?

I'm an Aunt!

My little sister gave birth to a lovely little baby girl last night after a very lengthy pregnancy and labor. She is officially the toughest woman I know which is a great trait for a Mommy!

Congrats Beanie!!

Going back to Cali, Cali, Cali . . .*

Hold the phone, I'm about to blog about socks, again!

The marvelously lovely and talented Agnes made my day today with my brand new Sockapalooza 4 socks!! Thank you soooooo much Agnes!!

They're not only beautiful and soft, but also fit like a dream. She knit me a pair of Undulating Rib socks which doesn't photograph well, but I'll try to describe. When the socks aren't on, it looks like the have little bumps in the ribbing. When stretched out, you discover that the bumps are actually places where the ribbing goes in and out. That doesn't make a lot of sense, but I don't know how else to describe them.

She used a yarn I'd never heard of, Interlacements Tiny Toes, but after wearing these babies and reading her praise of this yarn, I may be a new fan.

Plus I didn't get 2 socks, I got 3!! She used the scrap yarn to knit me a little sock blocker keychain. Adorable! And do you see that card?? It has actual teeny, tiny knitting on the front!! I love it and am in the process of finding out where we can buy lots of them. I'll keep you posted. :)

THANKS AGNES!!!

*Agnes lives in Santa Barbara. :)

This post is brought to you by the letter M and the color Green . . .

After a very sucessful and thrifty Yarn Crawl with my NYGK chicas last Saturday, I was able to cast on for Erin's Bridal Clapotis (this is a Ravelry link, it doesn't have much more info than this post so don't feel bad if you're not in to Ravelry yet). We visited three stores and saw a lot of yarns that would have worked, but finally decided on Twisted Sisters Mirage in Clary Sage. It has a really great sheen that's not too shiny, but gives it a little glitz.

I'm knitting this for the wedding, but it's not really an official piece of the bridal ensemble. It's more of a "just in case it gets cold" item. Erin's hoping to wear it a lot after the wedding, so we'll call it an heirloom piece. That's snazzy!

The second picture is to flaunt my progress, that color is nowhere near accurate. The first pic shows color accuracy. :)

Last fall I participated in the Harvest Sock Swap and unfortunately, I got flaked on. To make up for it, the organizer, Tonia, put aside other things and made me an angel package. I apparently had mentioned that I like greens in my questionnaire, which is true, but no one has ever fixated on green, it's usually blue.

Anyway she knit me a gorgeous sock and sent along the yarn for me to knit the other. This pattern, Yukon Leaves, seems a bit beyond me, but I'm willing to give it a whirl. Eventually.

Best part? It fits great!

Thanks Tonia!!

Another blast from the past, my Summer Sock Party socks are finished. The Cascade Fixation was crazy to work with! I must have cast on five or six times just trying to get it right. The elasicity of the yarn was difficult to get used to, but eventually I got it. And ta da! Probably the best fitting socks I've even owned.

Simpson-mania

If the mega(k)nits family lived in Springfield. :)

*Except my hair never looks that good.

ETA: You can make yourself a Simpson here.

Lame

Summertime mommying is proving to be a lot more challenging this year, leaving little time for resting and even less for knitting.

I've picked up my Summer Sock Party Swap sock from last summer, but that is a tale for a day when I can write a longer post. The perfection of socks as summer knits and on-the-go knits has been realized once again by this lady.

Wicked is getting there, however it is a little warm to knit on during the day, even with the AC.

This weekend we go on the hunt for yarn for the Clapotis and then I'll be working soley on that until it's finished - it's best not to worry brides with procrastination. We're visiting 3 shops, two of which are having pretty great sales.

Lamest post ever, sorry. :)

Socka-To-You

My Sockapalooza 4 socks are finished!! Woo hoo!!

Pattern: Cherry Tree Hill Yarn's Potluck SuperSock pattern

Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill Supersock in River Run

Size: Pal size

This is not the fanciest of patterns, but I've tried fancy patterns and they never fit right. These fit awesome! I'm sure my pal will appreciate a good fit over fanciness. :)

I knit both of these socks simultaneously on two circular needles - an amazing and truly genius technique. It's very refreshing to cast off and be finished with the whole shebang - no 2nd sock syndrome.

Started: May 3, 2007

Finished: July 18, 2007

Wedding Bells

Saturday I went wedding dress shopping with my youngest sister Erin - it was a lot of fun and in the end we found the perfect dress for her. Unfortunately earlier that day she'd been to the doctor about an infected finger and he bandaged her up soundly - but everything got a very emphatic thumbs up or down. :)





The dress is a bit more revealing than one might want for a January wedding so there was a lot of talk about wraps and jackets and such. While the lady was trying to figure out if we could get the same style bridesmaid's bolero in white, I volunteered to just knit something. My offer was accepted!

We've decided that I'll make the famous Clapotis! I'm excited to jump on this long-gone bandwagon. I did a little research on Ravelry (there are 824 Clapotises, Clapotis', Clapotisi?? listed) to explore some yarn and size options. There are 3 yarns currently in the running: Tilli Tomas Disco Lights, SWTC Bamboo, ArtYarns Beaded Silk. But in two weeks NYGK is going on a yarn crawl and I may find something that I love even more (or hopefully get an awesome deal on one of these). :)

Must finish Sockapalooza 4 socks and hopefully (since I can't cast on until I purchase the yarn) finish my Wicked.

NYGK 'Flix Swap Questionnaire

What is your favorite film genre or type?
I love scary movies. And most indie films.

List 3-5 of your favorite films and why you like them:
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and the Royal Tennenbaums, I think Wes Anderson is a brilliant director and LOVE these to movies (I also own them), the Scream trilogy - campy, but jumpy (I only own the first one), the Fifth Element - I'm kind of a closeted geek, sci-fi adventure with awesome fashion, woo hoo!

Do you like foreign films? Would it annoy you to watch a film with subtitles if you are knitting/crafting?
I do, I like a lot of Asian films, but I can't read and knit.

Is there a movie that you've always wanted to see but haven't?
I can't think of one.

Do you have any favorite actors?
John Cusack, Johnny Depp, Mila Jovovich, Drew Barrymore

What kind of movie night treats do you like? Type of Candy? Popcorn?
I love Junior Mints and Hot Tamales and "natural" popcorn.

Are you a sock knitter, lace knitter, or hat/mitten/scarf knitter?
Sock-a, sock-a

What are your favorite fibers?
Anything machine-washable, I totally heart superwash merino

What fibers do you dislike or are allergic?
Nothing too hairy or scratchy

What colors do you not like?
I do not heart yellows, oranges or most warm colors

What are your favorite colors?
Blues, greens, purples, black