Eek! Quick, a UFO!

I finished a UFO project for January, but apparently didn't post the picture. Good thing I took a moment and checked! It's part of a knitalong started by Kat with a K, and a darned good knitalong it is, too! As soon as I get a half hour, I'm going to figure out how to put the button up and have it go to the correct place, not just a picture on my computer. Anyway, the Hermione hat.
I love this hat so much. It's current, and pretty, with lots of stuff going on, so I didn't get to knit and watch t.v. It's exactly the type of knitting I'm enjoying right now, which is something that requires concentration and isn't just plain stockinette. (Perhaps this is why the husband's sweater is still a UFO?)

The husband's sweater is my UFO project for February, though, because if I just suck it up and knit the front, ta da! He'll be able to wear it and be warm, warm, warm. It's made of fisherman's wool, by Lion Brand, and the pattern is very simple. I shall finish this sweater! Thanks, Kat, for the motivation.

A girl of my word.

I finished the Chevron scarf, and as I was weaving in the ends, the sun came out! I grabbed the camera so fast! It's unblocked, but since my daughter will be wearing it around her neck this afternoon, I won't bother with blocking it. It will likely be in the wash by this weekend, anyway. The yarn was Encore, 75% acrylic, 25% wool, so washable. There are no names for the colors, just numbers, but they're a goldenrod and orange, orange being my daughter's favorite color. This very bright, sunshiney scarf was just the thing to pick up these last two stressful weeks, as I get out of my comfort zone and learn how to ease back into the working world. It's been nine years, folks! Well, let me clarify. I've been working my BUM off, but not bringing in an extra income. If anyone suggests I haven't been sweating, frustrated and kicked around, while still trying to do a fantastic job, I'm going to put my angry hat on. =)



I also balled up the spun yarn - first effort! - and it will await a quiet moment to go on the needles for a hat. I have to do something with it! And I know it will be worn if I make a hat, because it is cold here, people! 17 degrees, and getting colder. The bank secretary (by now, my friend) told me that this weekend there is a warning for parents that little kids could get frostbite if they're outside for ten seconds! That's cold.

No FO's

I'm at a place in my crafting where I've got nothing to show. I'm still working on the husband's sweater. I had to take a break, because he wanted socks. I have one sock done, and I'm not posting a pic til I've finished both. I'm afraid I'll lose my momentum. The Chevron scarf is nearly done, and I told the middle child that I was making it for her. (I decided that for sure last night) She smiled very big and said, "How did you know I wanted it?" Ha Ha! Good Mom Moment! I need to record these. Seriously. Far too easy to forget that I have them.

I have nine things to do today. That's a lot. Oops - call the accountant. Ten things. I was so stressed about this that I was up until 3:00 a.m. this morning. Is this helpful? Not a bit. Plus, when I'm up that late at night, I get to acknowledge that we do indeed have a mouse. Just one, right? Heh heh. And I couldn't find my knitting (!!!), so the Chevron scarf didn't get finished with this idle time. I played the kids Nintendo DS's instead, the Animal Crossing game. It was fun, but even on the game, everyone was asleep. LOL Then, when I got up at 6:00 this morning, there was my knitting bag, sitting in the hallway, bright orange yarn sticking out of it. *sigh* Well, clearly it wasn't meant to be, and if I'd knitted on the scarf, I'd have messed it up horribly. I'm very lucky to receive so much attention from the knitting fates.

Drama club today - ten more practices. Yikes! No, no. It's cool. (Yikes!!!) Deep breathe, deeeeep breathe. They're fun kids, though. I'm enjoying it more than I realized I would, even, and I knew it would be fun. Awesome! Yet again, a fates move in my favor. Karma should even things out with a kick in the pants, but maybe I suffered enough already, and this is the golden time. Let's run with that, shall we? Have a great day! I'll try to have a pic tomorrow!

Welcome to Monday!

Last night I finally got a bee in my bonnet and decided to wash my first spun yarn, single ply, very chunky =) It was fun, but I can see I have oh-so-much practicing to do. I'm hating to use the pretty green roving next, because I still need to work on my technique, but that's the only roving I have, so there! I've got to go much finer, because it expands so much after washing. Goals! I love em.

Here is also a picture of the pretty spindle I bought. It's got inlaid wood, which my husband likes, so asthetically it makes him happy, too!

Other than this news, the new business continues on a pace. We figured out last night that, because our business is on a shared server (cuz we're not making any money yet), we aren't in charge of the backups. To actually retrieve any information from a backup that the service provider performs, it's $150. Yes, that's right. And they don't let us back up our own stuff, cuz we're not paying for a better account. Guess we'll have to fix that! In the meantime, though, ouch! Heaven forbid you actually need to get your information. Boring, ay? If you want cool knitted stuff, go see Arleta's blog. She's been busy crafting for a great cause. You can, too, if you have the time. It's a very sad thing the family is struggling with.

The sun is shining, and there's snow on the ground! It's good to be here in Northern Michigan. It was two degrees Farhrenheit this morning when I got up, but let's not dwell on that, eh? It was a balmy 17 degrees by the time I got the kiddies to school. We were trying to psyche ourselves out that it was getting warmer, but the baby cleared us up on that when I took her out of the car. She said, "It's not warm! Cold!" and she tucked her hands in and buried her face in my shoulder. Yes, dear. You can't fool the little ones. =)

Chevron, continued...

My chevron scarf continues on apace. For some reason, I'm in a bad mood, today and the past several. I don't know. Not enough sun? So when I sit down to this sunshiney scarf, I feel better. And the pattern changes every other row, so I have to concentrate. I can't just grumble and knit tightly. I have to sit and be peaceful. The yarn is really soft, so that feels nice while I'm knitting, too. It is very rare that I get this sort of tactile comfort from knitting. Plus the size 10 needles make it move faster than it ought to, considering how little knitting time I've been getting.

The husband nicely let me hang the scarf on him while he was doing the dishes. So that makes him double nice =). Then the little one said, "Me, too," and even said "Cheese" while I was snapping, even though she was facing the other way. HeeHee. I really need to get the first kid to basketball practice, then maybe sit in the car all by myself and listen to NPR. But what will probably happen is I will take the other two along, get some groceries, and struggle through a play date, what with the lessons on sharing and all. It's all worth it, though, right? Right? Children take care of their parents in their retirement, right? Because if they don't, the little ingrates, my retirement plan sux. I'm smiling. Blogging is fun.

Oh, what a day...

I had such a terrible day yesterday. It was the kind of day when you just want to take a quilt to the couch and pull it up over your head. I was so done with dealing with people, even my own... I was trying to do too much, I think.

First off, I'm new to this working from home thing. I get stressed if the baby asks for something while I'm on a business call. I try to wait for her nap, and hope it's longer than ten minutes. Then someone gets a tad difficult on the phone, when I'm trying to be pleasant, pleasant, pleasant. Not fun, but okay. I take a break to knit. I didn't tell anyone yesterday, but I started the Chevron scarf while knitting with Arleta, and I hated it. It was not Chevron-ing at all. It looks, honestly, like striped yarn. I tried three times there, then took it off the needles and threw away the pattern. I have never done that before.

I tried to open a checking account for the business yesterday, but the girl who has been helping me (the one who's been leading me by the nose) wasn't there, had in fact left for the day, a fact they didn't tell me for twenty minutes. So someone else can help me? I asked. Sure, they said. Have a seat right there. Sat. After a fair amount of "busy time" by the lady, I could come in. She looked at my documentation, agreed it all looked fine, and could I have a seat, she'd be right back. I did not sit down. I was getting unhappy.

She looked and looked, and it quickly became apparent to me that she had no idea what she was doing. Okay, I'm nice. I'm nice even when I shouldn't be nice. (I have a really hard time being not-nice). I explained that I had another appointment, and perhaps I could come back after it, and sign something? Oh, she was relieved. I left my phone numbers (this part's important), and went off to order drama club shirts and pick up my kids.

Back at 3:30, kids in the car acting like maniacs, and the lady is on the phone for a very long time. My kid starts waiving at me like crazy, so I go to see what they need. Nothing, she says. She just loves her new shirt from the t-shirt shop.
........
Lady still on the phone, I leave.

I take a break to knit. In fact, I hate being beaten by a pattern, so I dug the yarn out, recopied the Chevron pattern, and tried again, in an effort to *de-stress* from the phone calling (which I don't like to do, anyway, even without difficult people). The first time I knitted it, it looked like it did yesterday.


So I tried again, with knitting one row and purling the next, thinking perhaps the pattern was wrong about knitting every row. It didn't look like the pattern, although something was now going on, and it was curling.

Then I ripped, asked the kids Oh-So-Nicely to be quiet (yeah, right), as mommy was getting a bit of a headache. I tried again, and it seemed the colors just weren't showing up, though bringing the yarn to the front when slipping did make it look somewhat like the picture. I yelled at the kids again (why do they have to be so loud?), threw the yarn down and went to make dinner. (Perhaps they needed to be fed?)

After the loud dinner, where my daughter cried because I didn't care who got to sit in the favorite seat, as long as someone did, I started getting that couch feeling (see above). I was marginally interested in reading stories, so I got to play a get-out-of-jail-free card and laid on the couch, vegging. When I got up this morning, I realized that my scarf looked like this:


I do believe it's chevron-ing, even if the colors aren't as contrasting as I thought they would be. Must have been why I just couldn't see it yesterday. I like it. It's made from Plymouth Encore washable yarn, and it's soft, soft, soft. And see how happy the kid is? Apparently I don't upset them as much as I worry I do. She seems fine, and even as adoring as yesterday. Phew.

Oh, and finally, here is what happens when mommy works and leaves the two-year-old to do her thing for a bit....



In case anyone has read all the way down this far, I got my checking account today. Apparently the computer was down yesterday (and they could have called me. See why the phone number leaving is so helpful?) Instead of working around the baby's schedule, I brought her in with me today and let her create havoc until they managed to get me out of there. Hooray! Business checking! Today seems to be going better. =-)

A Present! For Me??

Last night, on a whim, I called my mom and asked her to dinner. My excuse was, I already had to go out for bananas and butter, why not throw in a margarita or two? She agreed with me, and I escaped from the children and headed out for an awesome steak burrito and drinks. When I went to pick her up, what did she have for me?



Presents! This is a knitting bag, of her own design. On the outside are nice long narrow pockets, to hold my straight needles all in one place, and on the other side are shorter, slightly fatter pockets to hold the dpn's. (I still haven't found the ones I lost over the holidays) The inside is nice and roomy, lined with a pretty blue, with inner side pockets to hold some skeins of yarn or scissors, tapes, all the usual stuff you can't find when you want it. Not only was this incredibly sweet of her, but she made one for my friend! I'm so impressed/geeked out/humbled by her "Who needs a pattern?" attitude. Very cool. Thanks, Mom!!

I didn't blog yesterday, as I was in recovery from drama club. Ten people wanted to sew, and five people thought they'd give acting a go. That means there were three adults for five kids acting, and, um, me. For ten kids sewing. Some of whom had not sewed before and thought that sewing fast was comparable to race car driving. "I win! Did you see the way I went around that corner? I cut three seconds off my time by cutting in so far - haha!" At least there were no injuries. Some of the kids were very dedicated to doing a good job. It's just that for five seconds I was helping someone pin a pattern down, and when I turned back, a kimono was taking on a new shape. I'm going to see if I can pick out the stitches, but the fabric really frays, so I may just make another trip to the fabric store. I'm starting today, so we'll see.

Other surprising news? I had to get a tax I.D. number from the IRS yesterday, and they were nice, helpful, transferred me quickly to the right department... I had to gear myself up to make that phone call, and afterward I was so happy that I escaped unscathed. The IRS was nice to me! Now, I realize I wasn't trying to explain why I couldn't pay my taxes this year, but still, it was a happy experience. Remember "Who Wants To Be a Millionaire" on t.v., and it was the guy who worked for the IRS who won the whole kit and kaboodle? He was so cocky, wasn't he? Wasting his lifeline on the last question, just to inform his dad he was about to win. I thought Regis was going to have some fine words for him, but somehow he held back. (Paycheck, perhaps, or the realization that the guy could have him audited every year for the rest of his life?) Well, I've held that impression of the IRS dude in my head ever since, sometimes just shaking my head as I drove the kids to school. How conceited! How sure of himself! Well, thankfully, he doesn't answer the phone for people who are hoping to start a new business. Phew!

Today will be much the same as yesterday, with me slogging through the house and hoping people will call instead of visit. I'm going to get this place cleared out eventually, I just know it.

What I Did With My Evening

I made a kimono! A practice run for the drama class today, where we will be attempting to sew more of them. I have two spare sewing machines, birthday presents that need to be given a test run, anyway. The sleeves are what make this different, as they go all the way to the floor. This child's kimono took almost six yards of fabric! As it's just a costume, I didn't line it, because that would have been twice the cost, fussy and heavy. However, this satin frays like crazy, so lining it would have been a good thing. I just zigzagged the edges, and it'll work. The flash on this picture is unfortunate, but it's 5:00 in the morning, so there's no sun. Why is my kid up at 5:00 in the morning? Don't know. Sometimes it happens, but thank heavens, not often. She's gonna be crabby by tonight! Oh, and she says to explain that the first picture is her saying "Konichiwa."




The Husband's sock is lurking in the picture, trying to make me feel guilty, but I'm making black-bottomed cupcakes today, cutting out more pattern pieces and taking care of the two-year-old, so Mr.'s sock will get some attention this evening, most likely. I know you'll all realize how easily entertained I am, but I love working on little purple needles. Click, click, click, it just makes me happy.

Well, the early riser is looking bored, so I'll go give some attention there. If anyone has figured out how to clone themselves, would you toss me an email? I'm really desperate for this contraption, and I just know it's out there. Otherwise, how does everyone else make getting things done look so easy? Notice the cropped pictures? Messy house. Help! Cloning Machine! Cost No Object! (That last part's not true, but you tell me about the cloning machine, I'll make you a servant to work off the cost.)

Finally, Mittens!

My husband is laughing right now, because my 2-yr-old just tried to grab my scissors, and I told her no. So she looks at me and says, "But I just want to hand them to you, Mommy." 'kay. I let her. She stabs me in the hand with them. *sigh* I should have seen that coming.

Anyway, mittens! I should never type "mitt pics tomorrow", because, as country singer Garth Brooks would have it, "If tomorrow never comes..." That's a terrible quote, and nothing to do with the song, but it keeps running through my head as it takes several days for me to get all the mittens together for a picture. They're little party animals, apparently, and it's hard to pin them down. Clearly, I'm not going to get the red pair of mittens my mom made (she also made the black and yellow ones), so I might as well post pics of the three pairs I have. Also, my husband's sock-in-progress snuck into the photo, so apparently it wants to join the fun, too. It's ready for a turned heel, then on toward the toe! Just a K2, P2 pattern, so lots of stretch for a sure fit. Now, with the mitten knitting done, I can go back to the husband's sweater, and I'd like to start a scarf for my Christmas knitalong. You make one little item a month, and hey, won't I look awesome at Christmas?? So the scarf I'm thinking of is a Chevron scarf, from Creative Knitting magazing, July 2006. Looks like fun, and very do-able.



We took the kiddies sledding yesterday, which was much fun. It was only 20 degrees out, but there was no wind, and lots of sun, and we all ended up hot. A good time was had by all. Even the little one liked sledding, and last year she just screamed when I suggested it would be fun. And yay, we all got outside! We are definitely a computer family, and it was nice to breath fresh air and get away from artificial lighting. Also, I was the mom who brought hot chocolate for everyone. It's so rare that I can take care of a little detail like that, and it makes such a difference in the day, that I felt pretty good about myself as I pulled out the thermos. Actually, the husband trotted and got it for me, so he was part of the "make it happen" action, also.

A quickie.

I've been waiting to blog so I could post some mitten pictures, but since that's going to be tomorrow, here I go. I went to our elementary school the other day and asked how they were doing for warm stuff for the kids. I saw a huge box of hats, but the secretary said they had no mittens left. For some reason, even though the weather is below 20 degrees Fahrenheit, kids are coming to school with bare hands. I don't know the situations, poverty, lost them and didn't tell mom, whatever, but the kids have to go outside to play anyway, mittens or no. So they're standing around with their little hands scrunched up or stuffed in their pockets. So my mom and I went to Wal-Mart yesterday and bought some gloves (for the marketing world, it's spring, so they're really on sale), and have been knitting the last few days. I take a day to make a mitten, so it's a little slow. =-) But I'll post mitts pics tomorrow. Together, we'll have come up with ten pairs, and then I'll get back to my regularly scheduled knitting. The school probably needs more, but this is a start.

A half day at school today, so I get to try out my World of Warcraft Burning Crusade edition today. Yahoo! That is, if I can wrest it away from the kiddies. New bad guys, new places to explore. Honestly, people, you wouldn't believe the graphics they can do on computer games now. It's like watching a movie. Sometimes I just sit there and marvel at the scenery =) It's nice of them to put in such beautiful backgrounds. I think I'll visit the desert with my mage today, just to take the chill offa me. Seriously, I've been chilly for days. I'm trying to save the planet (can't do it alone, folks!) by keeping my heat turned down a degree or two more, and apparently I was right on the edge of warmth to start with. And we sit in gloom so much now, but I think we can get used to turning the lights off. I was listening to NPR the other day, and they said that people were acting like electricity was free, when it's really 25% of our global warming problem. As I sit typing on my computer. I'm spoiled, spoiled.

That's it for this morning! The kids are clamoring to get to school early (must have great teachers), so off we go! Keep warm!

I fell off the edge...

... and to be honest, I didn't even know there was a cliff nearby. I visited my aunt's yarn shop this last weekend, and the plan was to use a gift certificate my mom had given me for Christmas. I walked in, and what did I see but a load of very pretty spindles, just like the ones my friend Arleta showed me one day. These had in-laid woods, and you could spin top or downside with them, which I thought was pretty cool. So I thought, well, I'll give it a spin (haha), and see if I like it. I bought two rovings, a practice one and a green one for when I got good. Oh, all you spinners out there are laughing your arses off. I hear you.

I loved this spindle so much. I didn't know I would. The traveling sock was ignored so totally I left it at my Grandma's. I spun thick and chunky, then broke it off and tried for thinner, then got too thin, then thought about two- and three-plies. Somewhere in this thought process, it occurred to me that someone should write a book about how to use a spindle. I mean, I didn't have anyone showing me or anything. I was probably doing 800 things wrong. And, if you know me at all, I am all about the books. When I found out I was pregnant, someone should have bought extra stock in Borders. When my daughter was suspected of OCD or also awfullism (no fun), more books were bought on-line. (Can't shop in person so well now that I have three of the little darlins)

So then I was checking out blogs yesterday, and happened upon the Knitterguy. Huzzah! He was talking about a book on handspinning! This was so appropriately timed that I know it was meant to be. I do not stand in the way of cosmic events, and I do not question very much if life seems to be leading me in a certain direction. I was meant to do this, and it all started when I was 13, and picked up my first skein of yarn. I am a happy girl. (Oh, and thanks, mom, for helping things along. You're wonderful.)

Plus also, I can let the younguns use the spindle, and that is quite enjoyable. I will take pictures as soon as I replace my digital camera, which got broken when one child got upset because the other was trying to take pics of her in her panties. I did NOT get upset at the child who slapped the camera to the floor. Now, sadness, I can't even show you the beautiful spindle I bought, or the chunky purple and red yarn I am spinning, or how much I am looking forward to washing it. Yes, my yarn is overtwisted. I don't have any training. But I'm spinning up that green as soon as possible for some knitted wrist warmers. Too, too fun.

Just a moment in my life...

Me, sitting at my computer, reading your blogs.

My daughter: Mom, I want a drink of water.

Me, not looking, still reading: "So? Get a drink of water."

Daughter: Sigh.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see the lower lip start to poke out. I'm strong, and reading Enchanting Juno, so forget me turning into a serving maid any time soon. I take a sip of coffee, and my daughter gives a little cough. Mmm Hmm.

Daughter: Cough, cough.

Me: How's that drink going?

Daughter: I'm okay. Cough. Sigh. Cough.

Having lost my concentration, I look at my daughter. She's pale, possibly dehydrated, gasping for a sip of water. Some small effort on my behalf will prove yet again that I love this child more than, say, my computer, which I have been accused at bedtime of not doing. I get up to get her a glass, and tell myself I'm not raising helpless little people, I'm raising determined little people. This is a skill they will need when they grow up to be world leaders. Plus possibly there will be someone there to get them sips of water. I wouldn't want a stranger taking better care of my kids than I do, would I?

By the way, thank you, everyone, for your kind advice and acceptance of my little problem the other day. There were some very good suggestions that I can't wait to try out. I'm fairly sure I'll get the opportunity soon. And also possibly I'm not smart enough to figure out how to get the time stamp correct on these posts. I can only say that it is a very rare occasion that I post at 3:00 a.m., but you wouldn't assume that, so I have to tell ya.

The Book Meme

My friend Arleta tagged me with this Meme, which was cool, because I have to move on from the last post. Just move along, people. Don't look. Here 'tis:

The Page 123 Meme
1. Grab the book closest to you.
2. Open to page 123, look down to the 5th sentence.
3. Post the text of the next 3 sentences on your blog.
4. Include the title and the author's name.
5. Tag 3 People.

"Linda hung up, set the phone on the floor, and rose from the couch. She looked at Larry, and the longer she looked at him the more she expected him to move; it seemed to unnatural for him to be so still, so silent - he had always been in motion. Early in their courtship she pictured him as a hummingbird - a large, gawky hummingbird - but lately she saw him as something else - perhaps a mongoose."

February issue of Fantasy & Science Fiction. Good stuff. Short, usually eerie stories make for great bathtub reading. So I'll tag Kat with a K, Issues with Knitting, My Life's a Marathon and Black Dog Knits. Hope they don't get mad at me! I think these things are fun and interesting. If you guys don't want to, just tell me to cut it out =) I will.

We may have a problem....

My two-year-old daughter is a nipple pincher. I admit it, it's our secret shame, but the child won't stop pinching her own nipple. At first, I thought it was just a comfort thing, and yes, that's probably what it is. But it looks like a really painful comfort thing. She pinches that little thing til it's purple. We put vaseline or lotion on her chest, and she gets so, so mad! =-) Mostly we whisper to her, "Shirt down, shirt down!" Every once in awhile, she loudly proclaims, "I don't WANT shirt down! I want to pinch my nipple!" Very clearly, folks. There is no mistaking what the child is yelling or doing. I will flee a room when I can no longer pretend that she just has an itch. (I bring her with me, so she can't shame me while I'm not even there) Recently, I've begun carrying a bottle of lotion with me, in case of emergency.

We went to a Way-to-Grow playdate this morning, and I was a little nervous. I grabbed the lotion, put it in my pocket, and sent up a quick prayer for no self-mutilation at playgroup. We did really well, for about two hours, then I started to get VERY nervous. So nervous, in fact, that I finally just packed up before storytime. Nothing like nap time, a story, and a little nipple pinching to relax, ay? So I didn't even risk it, and we just left. This cracks my husband up no end. But really, wouldn't you be embarrassed? Just a little??? My older children did comfort things like rubbing this hands over the lines their socks left in their skin, or twirling their hair into knots. I didn't know how good I had it. I promise to never again try to stop a child from engaging in a comfort habit, so long as it doesn't make me flee the room.

In the meantime, though, does anyone have any good suggestions on how to stop this child from doing this? And what kind of people are going to hit on my blog site now that I've typed in nipple, pinching and lotion? I shudder to think.

In other news, I am crazily knitting on the husband's sweater. I've done the back, one sleeve, and am halfway up the other sleeve, which means that I will definitely finish the front when I get there! Then, without guilt, I can start that burnt orange sweater I've been eyeing the yarn for since before Thanksgiving. The pattern on the husband's sweater is VERY easy, and he says he's going to like it when it's done, so I soldier on. It's good knitting while I'm listening to NPR or waiting to pick kids up from school. Still, knitting a sweater for a grown man is a lot different than what I usually knit, which is for the children, or socks. Here's a picture, and then I'm off to watch Go, Diego, Go with the little darling....





Pretty easy pattern, no? The whole thing just looks like lots and lots more of this.

Scary Pajama Moment

Did you ever put on pajamas that were so unflattering that you couldn't even wear them? That somehow make you look wider than longer? I will wear baggy Spongebob Squarepants pj's around the house, and I don't care a bit. Last night, though, I put on black yoga pants, and I was cold, so I added a long-sleeved shirt with a Parisian logo. I looked in the mirror and choked. Honestly, I was hideous! The shirt color was unflattering, and my hips did this weird bulging thing at the side. My first thought was, "It's okay. I'm just going to nip into bed, and when I get up in the morning, I'll change quickly." Then the hubby wouldn't have to see the weird morphing his wife underwent, and my marriage would stay on the scale where we think the other one is pretty rexy. But I couldn't do it. The thought that I might have to get up to turn off the light when we were done reading, or have a bathroom emergency, or heaven forbid, sleep in, undid me. I flung off the Parisian logo shirt, and put on an extra large t-shirt that flowed, rather flatteringly (but maybe that's only in comparison) around my curvaceous hips. (It's all in how you sell yourself, folks) Then I went to bed and wondered about the whole event, and why I cared what I looked like, when I was just planning sleep. Oh, well, okay. So looking good should be its own reward, I'll grant you that. But I haven't changed clothing sizes, I put on maybe 2 or 3 pounds all told. Why was I so hideous?

It's okay. I have a theory about this. Six months ago, I was a size 16, and I wasn't thrilled with it, but I didn't shudder when I looked in the mirror. Then I dropped to a 14 (Nutrisystem, thank you) and thought I was a pretty hot mama. I happily pulled on shirts from the back of the closet that were a little tighter and a little shorter, and I was really proud of myself. Then I quickly dropped down to a size 12 (NS again, thanks), really in just another week. New clothes were bought, and I got a lot of compliments. I stopped Nutrisystem, for Christmas, don'tcha know, cuz one thing I like about the holidays is the abundant candy everywhere you look. Well, I think I've gotten used to the size of the new me. In the spirit of perfectionism in my life, I'm not now satisfied with how I look. Have you ever noticed how women feel guilty when we eat a candy bar? Don't you think that's a perfect waste of a chocolate moment? So that's one theory: I've gotten used to this size, and I want more (less). Also, I am absolutely surrounded by people skinnier than me, and what's that going to do to you?

So here's what I'm doing, and my daughter reads this blog, and I never lie to her. It's criminal to not be satisfied with your body, when we have so many options, and so many people in the world don't. My size is a good size, because I got here by being healthy. Not everyone can look like a supermodel, or should try to. You know, those models can't really eat, can they? So that's that. I'll keep being healthy, and if I never get smaller, it's because this is what my body wants to be. HaHa, yoga pants! May your bulky saddlebaggy sides not scare me or anyone else! Let's all raise an orange juice to just being healthy, and for body acceptance! HaaaaHaaaa!

But the evil Parision logo shirt has got to go.

Let it snow, let it snow...

Oh, my goodness! Finally, eh? Not that I love snow, but I sure hate thinking that global warning had reached the "there's no snow in winter" point so quickly. But after attempting to drive my kids to school, I had to turn around. We're pretty rural, and no snowplows had been out. After I almost slid into the other lane, then another car nearly slid into my lane, I cut my losses, turned around and came home. The kids will be late.

Here's the little artist! She spent a lot of time that day creating pictures for the blog, and this was by far the most detailed. A bunny, presents, balloons, cake... Happy Birthday party! That flu didn't let go of her, either. It lasted right through the weekend. Is it just me, or does the flu hit harder every year? And how do they know which strain of flu to make the flu shot for? I'd like that question answered, thank you. I'm going to add it to my list of questions to look up when I get some time. If you know, I'd love to hear about it.

There's too much work to do today to do any crafting, but I bet I'll have something to show tomorrow anyway. Hehe. I'm a rebel that way. Bundle up, peoples!

5 Things People Don't Know About Me

All rightie then. I had some blog ideas, but I didn't quite know what I was going to do. Then my friend Arleta tagged me (or suggested I might be tagged, if I wanted to play - she's very polite) for a meme called 5 Things About Me Others Might Not Know. Well, okay. You KNOW that is going to be easy, on account of I'm not so much an open book.

1. I have never believed 20 pounds one way or another is noticeable on a person.
2. I relish getting up at 4:30 a.m. for an hour and a half by myself before the day starts.
3. Every evening, I spend a few minutes reviewing whether or not I've scarred my children by yelling too much, or if I've given them happy moments.
4. I very much wanted to be a journalist
5. or a language interpreter for the United Nations.

Either one of those last ones would have worked. Wouldn't that have been cool? But I get to write just a bit, and I'm working on writing more. And I do get to teach sign language, which is difficult enough for me now, what with all the little life obligations flyin at me. Oh, and the 20 pounds thing? Let's all pretend I'm right. Less pressure.

Feel free to pick up this meme and do it yourself! It just takes a minute, and it's nice to share. My daughter stayed home sick Friday, and spent serious time making art for me. I took some pics with it, and she'd like me to share them with you, cuz she's so proud of them, and she thinks a blog seems so nifty! So that's tomorrow's blog entry, plus a pic of the finished Hermione hat. One down for the gift-a-month-along. Into the cupboard it goes!

I've Lost My DPN's!!!

Not just some of them. All of them. Yah, I had quite a few, eh? And I know I'm not the only one who has cleaned my house and then lost things. But how does one lose at least eight packages of double-pointeds? Grr. So here is my Hermione hat, one of the many UFO's that I brought over from 2006. (I know it's an awful picture, but there you are. Pretend you need glasses) I have started decreasing for the crown, but I can't switch to double-pointeds, so I had to go to two circulars. Just as I'm feeling pretty clever about knitting, and how knitters can solve any knitting problem thrown at them, I realize I still have to cable. So the #5 circs I'd been using to cable, since I can't find my DPNs, I'm now using as part of the hat, and I had to find my #4 circs. Then I'm struggling with all the hanging points, and I just had to take a picture. I think the hat will be done today, which will take care of my first UFO and my "make a gift a month"-along. I love this hat. I love the color, and the wool, and the bobbles, and the pattern... That knitting can make one so happy ... *sigh*

Also included is a pic of the hubby, wearing the sweater I made him last year, and the Christmas socks he thought were boughten, because how could I have time to knit socks on the sly? heehee. All I can say is, the bank lady got many updates of the sock, as I knit waiting for her to give me back the banking slips. The pattern was from Charlene Schurch's Sensational Knitted Socks book. My husband also suggested he'd happily wear knitted pants - no, dear, that's not happening. But doesn't that speak well of the comfort of the socks? I need to make him another sweater. He wears this one all the time. What a guy. It makes me feel pretty guilty that I swiped both fortune cookies from last night. However, here are the fortunes that we are "sharing". "Everyone enjoys your radiance," and "You are capable of building a thriving business venture." The people who play my on-line game will understand my concern about the first fortune. I have a character named Radiance, and I'm off to change my account password next. The business venture is a great fortune, as we are starting a business, and going through the maze of incorporating right now. It's not really a maze. It's just something I haven't done before.


Oh, and the final pic? My daughter asked if she could run her DoodleBear through the washer. I looked at it and said, "Why? It looks perfectly clean." "Yeah," she said. "It's the invisible ink kind."

......

Bring it on, 2007!

Well, rats and frazzle. I got up this morning, and there the dirty dishes were. Apparently my request for a dish fairy for 2007 has been denied. Again. Gah. Well, forget it, family. I'm taking one of the kids clothes shopping instead. Four hours of sleep on a child who hates clothes shopping (well, any shopping) on the first day of the new year. It's either that or dishes. I couldn't come up with a better list than this??? Haahaaahaaaa. The New Year's baby is giggling at me.

But I'm excited. I'm hopeful. I'm starting new things. I get out of the house more every year that the children grow, and I think that makes me a better person. In fact, I know it does. Every year, I feel more and more like the person I used to be. My husband is probably happy, too. All work and no play make Carrie a dull girl.... *giggle* We've got the drama club, we're going to work more on the house, this year I'll get Christmas cards out... I may start that one now. I like to set attainable goals for myself. I'm now the co-leader of our on-line group of friends in World of Warcraft. I don't know what that means, but I'm sure it has to do with me having some serious power - mwahaahaaa. (Where does that laugh track keep coming from?) My mom and I have a business idea that looks fun, and my husband and I actually started a business. Children are nearing adolescence, one step at a time. Plus I have a plan for keeping track of my knitting projects. I envision this year with me swerving and moving from one fun activity to another. Momentum keeps me happy. Sitting and doing nothing bum me out.

So, right now, nothing to report, since nothing has happened yet besides me killing the first cup of coffee of the New Year. But I'm ready!