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!

Boo!

Please help Holli decide:

Clown

or

Bat

Happy Halloween!!

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 ....

. . . this little angel just turned eleven!

I love you tons and bunches honey! Mom.

Trash Day

Right there - top billing - "Easy Clutter Control" - in the October 2007 Real Simple magazine. Let's talk about the problems I have with this concept of "Real Simple". First off, the magazine is 396 pages long! To me, if something is going to be "real simple" it's going to be, possibly - 10 pages long.
The article in question "Easy Clutter Control" - I know it's hard to see from the photo of the Table of Contents (found on page 32) - but it's on page 312. The article itself is 14 pages long. So ... quick math check: 396 - 14 = 382 pages of additional clutter in the house. I have a better Idea for clutter control - quit buying stupid magazines to tell me how to reduce clutter in my life!
And as luck would have it - Friday is trash day in my neighborhood!

The Nile

Maybe this idea I had of knitting socks for Kathryn would have been easier if I had just taken stock of a few facts before hand. She IS NOT a baby. In fact, she turns 11 on Sunday. She no longer has the tiny feet I remember her having - like - yesterday. Proof: My favorite commercial sock on top, hers is below it.
My new shoes on top, Kathryn's below. I wear a size 6 adult, she wears a size 3 youth. Hers is the same size as mine. Why am I paying more money in the adult section to get the same shoe that they have over in the youth section?
I am now just knitting her a pair of socks sized for me on smaller needles. I can't even show you the thing that I tried to get her to try on as sock #1 when we thought it was finished. Despite the super loose bind off, she couldn't get it past her toes. Good thing she has a sense of humor. But as for me - I'm locking up my shoes!

Send Good Thoughts

My sister and her family live in San Diego. They have taken in one family who have been evacuated from their home as a result of the wildfires in southern California. My folks talked with her last night and she remains confident that they are safe and secure where they are, between Pacific Beach and La Jolla on Mt. Soledad.

My baby brother (at 41) lives in Marina del Ray, south of Los Angeles. He probably doesn't even know there are wildfires going on in the area. Or, he's out of the country on business somewhere.

Send good thoughts out that way to all those who might be in danger or who need some extra comfort.

Wish we could send some of the extra rain.....

Hannah-tized

I'm not above bribery - but in this case, I had nothing at all to do with the smile gracing my daughter's face this morning. Despite staying up WAY past the normal bedtime for a Sunday night and having no voice left, she left for school this morning with a skip in her step and humming some familiar tunes.
Before you laugh - let me just tell you that this was one of the best shows I've ever seen. Fun, energetic, fast-paced. Not too "Disney" either. It didn't hurt that we were treated to this entire event by some friends, in a suite, with free food and beverages either.

Maybe it's just me, or maybe it was just being there at the exact moment when you realize that you are no longer the only idol in your daughter's world, but I cried, several times.

October 3

No real post today - we're busy. Building arks. With gopher wood and pitch - as instructed. I don't really want all those animals around, so I'm taking Jon, Kathryn, Holli, Tigger, a few good books, some trashy magazines, my knitting room (assuming since the ark will be built as instructed, there will be plenty of room), my knitting group, Julie, my neighbor and her dog, Cooper. Food and all those necessities. What would you bring?

As for the title - October 3rd - that's the last day here that it didn't rain.

Comfort Socks

We need some comfort here. Not just because of the dreary skies and rain either. Kathryn has been struggling with this new world called 5th grade. This has been a painful few months for all of us. She is a bright ans talented young lady and her struggles are not academic or even social in nature. Rather, she is at that point where "fairness", workload, structure and order (or lack thereof) all factor in to her in day. She has a teacher whose "teaching style" just doesn't mesh with Kathryn's learning style. In short, welcome to "Kathryn Meets the Real World - Volume 1".

She has asked for a pair of socks. Keep in mind, this is a child who has shunned all things knitted thus far. She needs these socks soon. As KmKat was oh-so quick to point out, her favorite pair of store bought socks, recently seen here have an enormous hole in the heel. I threw them out. I was bad. Artyarns Supermerino should knit up very quickly. We decided to call this colorway (#127) Apples because it reminded us of the apples we had in the house yesterday - Granny Smiths, Harralsons, and Honeycrisps.
I had been secretly knitting her a pair of socks before all this came about. When I pulled them out to continue them - a disaster had befallen them. There was a tiny hole somewhere up near the toe, rendering them impossible to continue life as they were. The last time I had worked on these socks was .....
...over here. Sorry Mayhem - I'm not buying that "Oh, I'm just sitting here not doing anything" look. I took my eyes off you for a second and left my bag unprotected. I know - it's my fault.

Missing!

Details: Large star around which the earth orbits known as the "Sun"

Last seen: Saturday October 13; prior to that, Saturday October 6th

Where: In the sky, about 93 million miles or so away

If found, please return to Minnesota.

Size Matters

And it matters most in this house in the size of our electronics. Take the two newest additions to the TV count. For those of you keeping score from last year's Star Tribune article on the number of television sets in our home - this is only a net gain of one - well, it will be when we get rid of the one that is being "donated" to accommodate one of the new ones.

Mr. treated himself to a new 46", LCD, HDTV. He watches the least amount of TV of anyone in the house but when he does watch it, he wants the full experience of it. Which is why we also have the 96" projection TV theatre room downstairs. But that's a different experience. You can have popcorn and candy and kids and really loud noises down there. I treated myself to a TV in my studio/office/craft/junk room. I probably watch the most TV of anyone in the house in that it is on during the day as background noise. Sometimes reruns, sometimes news, sometimes music - you get it.
15" of HDTV companionship, mounted up high so I won't knock it over or lose it like I do its remote about 10 times a day!

And of course every one's a winner when you buy a really big electronic toy. This was an entire evening's worth of fun for these two! Gotta run - I think there might be an "ER" rerun starting soon......

Girls and Volleyball Rule!

Tomorrow is the last two matches of the season for the 5th grade girls volleyball team and I find myself almost sad about it. They've come quite a long way from last year where all they had to do was get a serve over the net to win a point and likewise, because they couldn't return a serve, the same was true for the opposing team. This year they've learned a few new skills and had some exciting volleys and some very close matches. They've won all but one match for a record of 7 - 1. The girls come together as a team on Saturdays - even though during the week they have many different personalities. We like volleyball because it's inside, on cold, rainy fall Saturday mornings. We are warm and toasty, while the parents of the kids who chose to play soccer - not so much. Sometimes we look outside at them and take off our sweaters and fan ourselves as if to say ... "Gosh, it's so nice in here! And look at you all huddled up out there on the wet, cold soccer field.!" But I digress.
Thanks for a great year Coach Brad! You've done a great job with these girls and we are ever so thankful to you!

Go Crusaders!

Channeling Groucho

"Age is not a particularly interesting subject. Anyone can get old. All you have to do is live long enough." Groucho Marx

"Please accept my resignation. I don't want to belong to any club that will accept me as a member." Groucho Marx

Really? On the heels (pun intended) of finding out that there might be clothing restrictions once we reach a "certain age", I am being persuaded to join that club. I'm like - weeks away from 50. I have time -- right??

Garanimals

Michaele's "note to self" at the end of her post yesterday reminding her to stop shopping at Anthropologie when she feels she's too old to shop there, besides making me laugh my guts out - (because frankly we all know someone whose been shopping there Far longer than they should have and if you don't know someone whose been shopping there for longer than they should have, perhaps it's you) - got me to thinking . . .

. . . will I ever be too old to wear socks and shoes that match?