Reunited

The camera arrived home safely last night. And it came bearing gifts!! Perhaps the best gift was the camera owner who never looked so good! While not the longest trip he's been on, it was the farthest away he's been and that has a psychological effect on all of us. Kathryn flew out of the car to greet her daddy at the airport last night and we had to restrain Holli from doing the same. Once home and fed we got to go through the bags looking for our treasures. First up - Kathryn's. She was scared to death that snakes were going to pop out of this can, despite it being CLEARLY labeled as canned koala. She was momentarily stumped however by the fact that she had no idea how to work a can opener! Who knew!!

No snakes. Nary a one. Just the softest, cutest little guy you ever saw.

And for mom, a kangaroo caddy. She's made of kangaroo leather (yell at him, not me!) Sh has two pouches for holding on to all kinds of goodies.

And she can hold notes in her mouth for all to read.

Welcome home honey! We missed you tons and bunches!

Picture This

Two sisters shopping in a trendy teenager store in Pacific Beach. At the urging of my sister I try on a pair of ridiculously too-young-looking, albeit cute, jeans with rhinestone studs all over the butt and front pockets and little charms on the zipper and my-oh-my they are so freaking cute and so...I buy them...because they fit. And they are not priced at as the label would have you believe at $225 but rather $74 (a price I'd never pay in the first place but come on!!)

Now we are home. In Minnesota. Where I'm generally more sensible about my clothing and appearance. So I wait until Tuesday to wear the new jeans out in public. Knitting group - no one laughed. In fact, I even had to point out that they were new jeans. Perhaps the new really cute top caught their attention first?

Piano lessons. This might be a good time to mention that the jeans are for a person about 6'5" tall. In order to wear my new jeans, I have to fold them up about six inches (What? I've seen it done!!!) and I wear boots. I bring my piano books, Kathryn's piano books, her basketball and dance stuff and my knitting bag with me to piano. My piano lessons are in the basement of the church/school where Kathryn goes. Down 16 steps. In boots and rolled up jeans. Where a boot heel could easily get caught in a cuff and....

Do you still need the camera?

Tell & Tell

There are so many things I'd love to show you about Thanksgiving in San Diego. Like 43 pounds of turkey for 7 people, my sister's beautifully set Thanksgiving table, three girls happily swimming while their parents lounged around the pool all weekend long, me reading ... and finishing ... 2 books, and the margaritas, wine, martinis, beers, rum & cokes.

But alas, my camera left me in San Diego and went on to better places without me. Is this the Sydney Opera House?? If not, then Mr. is in some serious trouble!!

Checking Out

Flower Basket Shawl and I thank you all for your wonderful comments. Yes, it was hard to leave her at the auction. But the fact that she inspired a rather spirited bidding war among several of my friends was pretty fun to watch. At the last minute, the mother of a friend of mine, a very gifted and talented knitter in her own right, outbid them all and took FBS home for good. I couldn't bare to look at the final price. At least she's with someone who appreciates her.


We are having our hardwood floors re-finished starting this morning. From what I've heard, it's supposed to be a new "dust free" process. I'm not completely buying that and I know that Holli will be freaked by the whole process so off the animals will go early this morning to their vacation spot at my father-in-law's. He won't know this until he reads it here or until I show up with the animals in tow. Sorry Dad - I know it's a day earlier than you had planned but it's just too loud and messy here.


Oh - and we are leaving for San Diego for the Thanksgiving holiday with the sister's family tomorrow. Blogging is not likely to occur between now and next Monday when Kate and I return (and Jon is somewhere in Australia!).


I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday - full of all of life's rich bounty. One of the many reasons my life is richer is the presence of my blogging pals in my life. I am so very thankful for the friendships of each and every one of you! Happy Thanksgiving!

We Made It

I grounded myself yesterday so that Flower Basket Shawl and I could finally come to terms with her completion. The final six rows and bind off took nearly 5 hours to complete.
She soaked for an hour or so while Kathryn and I visited with our new best friend, the orthodontist. I expect this to be a long relationship as well.
Tigger was most helpful in assisting me lay and pin FBS out for an overnight drying session on the now pinkish-tinged white towels used for blocking. They are on display now as the the "Shroud of FBS".
This morning Holli helped me pull up all the pins and promptly rolled all over the still damp towels. And because hanging the shawl over the blind in the family room was "different" she went and cowered in her hiding spot under my desk until it came down and the "all clear" siren was sounded.
So we made it. And on it goes today to the auction. Lucky for us there's more that enough left over for another shawl. For us!

Travelers

The weary traveler returned home from Ft. Lauderdale late Friday afternoon. Even though he missed his actual birthday while he was away, we spoiled him rotten while he was gone with an FTD chocolate tower. On Saturday morning he was showered with the regular booty of best dad and husband gifts. We didn't see him much after he got the iTouch! For all your birthday wishes and comments, Mr. had this to say:

He truly is a man of few words - but was thrilled that you all checked in on his special day. Next up travel-wise, he will abandon us while we are all in San Diego for Thanksgiving to travel to Australia, come home for a week and then on to Berlin. Looks like Kathryn and I should stock up on cereal and noodles.

In other traveler news, I forgot that the post offices were closed yesterday when I left packages at the after-hours drop off. Oops! He doesn't look very happy at all does he? Lucky for us, he remembered where the breakfast stool was and sat right down next to Kathryn for his morning whine.

Wonder what's left in the box for kmkat?

Furr-Prize!

Dear kmkat,

Your long-awaited prize package is finally in the mail. I had to find the proper sized box.
And then wait for the sedatives to kick in. I may have forgotten to include a return address on the package though.

He eats at 5:00 AM and 6:00 PM. And talks quite a lot. Enjoy.

Frozen Eye Candy Friday

You really have to look hard - but those white flecks - are snow flakes! And it's coming down hard right now. Yippee!

Maybe I'll get to snuggle up in front of a nice fire and my sweetie when he gets home tonight!

Even the Stars are at Odds

From today's Minneapolis Star Tribune horoscope:

Capricorn: Others expect you to create on demand. If you can master this skill, you'll be paid incredibly well. The pinch of a deadline makes you work to capacity. You get it all done because you must get it all done.

Ha!! Take that Flower Basket Shawl! You shall be whatever size I want because my horoscope says that I can do it all!

Capricorn Daily OM Horoscope: Time to Consider
You may feel uncertain today, especially if you are faced with a choice that could have a major impact on your future. Perhaps you have the option of changing the nature of one of your relationships or the choice to take a new direction in some area of your life. If you are faced with many options and are unsure of how to proceed, consider giving yourself plenty of time to think. If someone is waiting for your response, feel free to say today that you need time to make up your mind. You may even want to make a list of the pros and cons of each choice. Or, you can simply sit and listen to how your body responds to your options as you mull them over. Your indecisiveness may also stem from the fact that it isn’t the right time for you to make a decision.

On the other hand, maybe I'll just think about it for a little while longer and try to decide......

Get Me to The Church on Time

Perhaps because no one knows about this piece, I have put even more pressure on myself to get it finished, blocked and out of here as quickly as possible. I committed to nobody to have it done in time for the Christmas Boutique at church. Rather, I just thought it would be fun to have it show up as an item for the sale or auction. However, Flower Basket Shawl and I are having some communication problems. I want her to be the largest size she will commit to - 17 repeats for a total of 415 stitches. This would result in a shawl about 90" wide by 45" deep. Flower Basket know that right now (Boutique is next weekend) time is of the essence and she can only work so fast. She feels as if she'll be more comfortable as a small shawl at 68" across by 36" deep - or about 315 stitches. She's resting comfortable now at about 8 repeats, with just over 200 stitches.

We've been working together for about 2 weeks and the really hard work is just now setting in. More stitches every row, the edging, the bind off, the blocking, the parting. I knew you'd take her side. She always wins. Fine - small shawl it is. Mom always liked her best.

Lorna's Laces; Helen's Lace; Color 107 - Red Rover

HEY MISTER!!!

I know it must be hard to be away from home on your birthday, especially when you're in sunny, warm Ft. Lauderdale, enjoying forced corporate fun with a few thousand of your new closest friends. So back here in windy, cold Minnesota, your regular old family wants to tell you that we miss you and we love you and we hope you have a great day!!

Happy Birthday Daddy!!!

Please join us in wishing the best husband, father, and friend ever a very Happy Birthday!

And while you're at it, please pop over to Vicki's and wish her a grand day as well! But check the frosting before you dig in to the cake!!

If you are in the Twin Cities, grab a copy of today's StarTribune and check out the Source section for a great story: "Getting Fleeced: A growing number of knitters are able to trace their sweaters back to a specific sheep". Or, read it here. I've been fortunate enough to see lots of the MistyMeadow Icelandic stuff when I was working - it's fabulous!!

It's Tuesday - Knitting Group Day!! Can't wait because I missed last week. Gotta dash.

Smile!

It's more of a reminder to me than a command to you guys. Jon left for Florida yesterday for the week, Kathryn's 5th grade woe's, while settling down on one hand, are escalating to a level that is way out of control on the other hand (mean girls suck!!). While at her 11 year-old check up the other day, she described the headaches she has been getting and as luck would have it in addition to passing along the gene for good hair, I've also passed along the propensity toward migraine headaches. Since she is not wallowing in self pity, I figure I have no right to either. So I try to remember the things I have around me that make me smile.

The bubble bowl that always seems to be filled with seasonal M&Ms. Oops - we ate all the Halloween ones and had to fill with regular ones until the Christmas ones are out - which is probably now.

The sun rising over the lake on a cool, crisp morning with a dog standing by your side with a leash in her mouth. Clearly she has a different plan for this morning.

Kathryn's playhouse. 12 x 12, 2 story, with heat, satellite, cable, Internet, intercom, phone, electricity. If it only had running water........

Kathryn's bed. Sometimes after I've dropped her off at school at the unthinkable hour of 7:30, I come home and climb into her bed for a while where it's still warm and smells like her. And then I think I'll remember to tell her that it's time to start taking daily showers.

A mute orange cat. Orange kitties talk. This one talks A LOT! The porch is Tigger's office. When the weather turns cold I have to keep the door closed and I often forget he's out there. Funny, I can't hear him when he wants to come in either. Must be because the window is closed too!!These simple things make me happy and keep me smiling. Knowing that all this will pass or is manageable, keeps me sane!

Boo Hoo Hoo!

Based on the Halloween costumes I saw out and about yesterday, not every 11 year-old girl showed (or was shown!) proper restraint in the costume department. Boys either for that matter. One really has to question the judgement of a child (parents) who comes to the Catholic School in a costume which is nothing more than a pair of boxer shorts revealing a plastic butt with a big smooch mark on it. Oh well....

So, she being the perfect child, and knowing the rules of the house ("No Skanky Costumes!!"), she opted for "Baby". People like to give babies candy - total haul was 174 pieces of yummy candy. I get all the Reeses and Butterfingers! Yessss!!
Night night babies. Sleep tight. Don't you just want to snuggle up with them?
On behalf of Kathryn, thank you for all the wonderful birthday wishes. She read them all and was thrilled that mom's real and "ether-friends" took the time to send her wishes!