Reminded

August 27th, 2008

Thanks to Amy I thought I better post my Olympic non-completion:

I got through 1 skein and part way into the 2nd and will probably have to purchase another skein to make it long enough.  Remember, I was sitting on my butt eating popcorn…please excuse the clothing in the background.  These are school clothes - I should say that the khaki are the outlawed school clothing and the plaid is a skirt.  I did my school shopping last night online at 11:30 pm and I am hoping that something shows up before Tuesday.  The girls have 1 option each to wear - the boy has nothing!

And thanks to Deb I was reminded to go to that dark place in my cupboard and clean out my boxtops to photograph for Trek.  It may not look like much but this small pile is worth $13.50! (35 boxtops plus a 100 boxtop coupon).  This pile will all be going to the 3rd grader’s (how did my youngest get that old already?) classroom.  His sisters have all had their share of pizza parties over the years by having classmates whose parents work at grocery store establishments.  Great for the school but this usually blows out the other classrooms in the collection contest.

I am also reminded that I need to download a carload of pictures from a spontaneous family trip last week - more on that later!

Working and Sitting on my Butt

August 13th, 2008

Too busy to take pictures of my scarf but I have worked through 1 skein and will start the next one tomorrow night (hopefully…)  Dh and I have been working crazy here in addition to juggling kid’s social situations and watching my 5 year old grandson - this has been very challenging to say the least. 

Have to keep the work pace up to pay for all of the upcoming expenses!  Not to mention the regular school tuition, clothes, and sports expenses - At a recent dental cleaning I was given the bum’s rush out of the dentist’s office along with an extensive list of items that need to be done to each child - you have insurance right? - wrong.  I shopped around and have found a very nice dentist who was recommended to me and her daughter seems to come home in one piece so youngest son starts his treatment plan tomorrow with a couple of fillings.  He also has to have 2 baby teeth pulled and a space retainer put in.  One of the reasons I am feeling so good about this new dentist, besides the fact she charges 25% less than the other dentist- is that when I expressed concern to the old dentist that one of his front teeth has not come in in almost a year while the other one came in very quickly - I was told don’t worry, we’ll let that go until the other tooth has come in all the way.  My first thought is that this kid is going to have HUGE teeth!  The new dentist did a quick x-ray and found that the baby tooth next door is a “gemini” tooth - 2 root systems, 1 tooth.  This root system is wedged up very tightly next to the new front tooth and won’t let it come down!  Needless to say that tooth is coming out as well!  Did I mention I have a 13 year old who is REALLY afraid of needles and has a couple of fillings and 4 baby molars that need to come out?  (Any helpful hints on this are most welcome!)

In addition to the Synchronized swimming tryouts and the large sum that needs to be paid for the privilege…my 8th grade daughter’s class is planning a trip to Washington DC next May.  The fund raising will begin in earnest next week

BTW - if anyone is interested in a Happenings Book for the new season - she will be taking orders next week with personal delivery soon after!  Just send me an email and she will call you to take care of the order!

Enough with the money talk - gotta check out the Olympics taping for tonight…why is it that we are all so excited about watching these wonderful athletes while we are just sitting on our butts eating popcorn?

I’ve started…

August 9th, 2008

Thank you to all the wonderful people who gave me their opinion on which scarf I should start…I didn’t pick any of them.  I picked the first one - The One Row Scarf.  The picture on the Harlot site is very different from another one I saw done up and that is what convinced me to do that one.  I will take pictures next week but for now I am plugging away.  I am basically only going to be able to work on this at night when we watch the day’s coverage.  The weather has been way too nice to sit inside and sit.

Opinion in Olympic Proportion

August 4th, 2008

Well - I am getting a little more inspired to start a new project for the Olympics but am still struggling with the possibility of the “wrestling” division with my WIPs but let’s be honest…there is nothing like starting a new project!

I need some help picking out a pattern.  I have 2 yummy skeins of Malabrigo worsted, I think they would be the Cabernet color, and I am going to make a new scarf for myself.  I find this very ironic because when I began knitting a few years ago after a very long break, a scarf was the furthest thing from my mind!  This will be a scarf of wooly goodness to keep my very cold neck warm this winter.

I have narrowed my choices down to 3:  They are the One Row Scarf, the Fringe Scarf, and the ever popular My So-Called Scarf.  These are listed in no particular order but I am leaning toward 2 of the 3.  What do you think?  Which one would you choose?

Classic Reading

August 3rd, 2008

No knitting going on but I was inspired to watch Meg Swensen’s Gurnsey sweater DVD and now understand the whole gusset thing and even purchased the new Vogue Knitting magazine!  Maybe some time soon I will actually pick up the needles. I am trying to reconcile the fact that I have several items on the needles that only need a bit of finishing - one that just needs to be blocked - and starting a new project!  I am going to start something this Friday for sure to knit during the Olympics but am not sure what that will be though - maybe a new scarf for myself?

This morning I just had to push through the rest of the book I had been reading: Giants in the Earth by Ole Edvart Rolvaag  I believe that this book has been on many college reading lists - but I don’t think that I would have appreciated it back then.  I can’t imagine leaving Norway, a fishing community to boot, and coming across to the vast prairies of the Dakotas -” where there isn’t any place to hide behind.”