Yes, yes, I know. It's only November 2. And I said "Christmas". But I'm not thinking lights, or decorations, or anything like that. I'm not even thinking presents or lists, believe it or not. I have the overwhelming urge to stamp. And papercraft. And play with adhesive dots and watercolor with inks and generally make a big mess. So much so that I cleaned off roughly 3/4 of the dining room table to make work space. (And Rosemary and Kelly can both attest to the fact that it was no small feat!) I'm thinking Christmas CARDS. An idea struck, I ordered new stamps, and I'm starting to play with color and brushes. And it's fun. And no pressure, seeing as how Christmas is far, far away. Really far. Like, I'm in denial about seeing candy canes at the grocery store today far away. However, stamps and ink are fun, and it's amusing me to no end trying to see which of six different shades of green go best with various shades of red, rose, and pink. And if I like them better as markers, watercolors, or with a blender pen. If I'm feeling really saucy, I might even break out the eyelet setter and hammer!!!
So, yeah. Not so much "thinking Christmas" as simply putting a creative urge to practical use. And I have to admit, it's a little annoying to have practical creative urges. There's something to be said for spontaneous creative combustion. Eh...that'll probably hit about the time I start thinking about baking cookies for all the people I couldn't figure out what to knit for.
Friday, November 2, 2007
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Post-Halloween Post
We made it through yesterday, and had a nice funeral for Fluffy, then switched gears and got dressed to go to a Halloween party and trick-or-treating. From the pictures, you'd never know these kids spent most of yesterday afternoon in a huddle on the couch, sobbing uncontrollably.
Princess Natalie
C3PO and Pirate Girl
Curious George and The Man With The Yellow Hat
And a random cute picture of Kaitlyn chewing on her lip at the coffee house we go to while Brendan and Abby are in Spanish class. :)
Princess Natalie
C3PO and Pirate Girl
Curious George and The Man With The Yellow Hat
And a random cute picture of Kaitlyn chewing on her lip at the coffee house we go to while Brendan and Abby are in Spanish class. :)
Post-Halloween Post
We made it through yesterday, and had a nice funeral for Fluffy, then switched gears and got dressed to go to a Halloween party and trick-or-treating. From the pictures, you'd never know these kids spent most of yesterday afternoon in a huddle on the couch, sobbing uncontrollably.
Princess Natalie
C3PO and Pirate Girl
Curious George and The Man With The Yellow Hat
And a random cute picture of Kaitlyn chewing on her lip at the coffee house we go to while Brendan and Abby are in Spanish class. :)
Princess Natalie
C3PO and Pirate Girl
Curious George and The Man With The Yellow Hat
And a random cute picture of Kaitlyn chewing on her lip at the coffee house we go to while Brendan and Abby are in Spanish class. :)
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Fluffy Is Gone
We'll miss you, Squeaky Boy.
The kids and I buried him in the back yard, and made him a headstone with carrots on it. We'll plant some carrots and tomatoes by him in the spring. He would like that.
The kids and I buried him in the back yard, and made him a headstone with carrots on it. We'll plant some carrots and tomatoes by him in the spring. He would like that.
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Random Meme Post
Ugh...we won't talk about where I've been for the last six weeks. September is always insane, October is just as bad. So in the spirit of actually posting to my blog, I decided to do one of those random "about me" memes that float around periodically. Got the questions from More Olive Juice, Please - although truth be told, I'm not sure how or when I ended up subbing to her blog, but I do rather enjoy reading her posts and I love her layout. :)
1. Are you taller than your best friend? Um...that involves picking/having a best friend. Generally, though, I'm the short one.
2. Do you have a favorite type of pen? Black ink, preferably a smooth-writing gel pen.
3. Look at your planner for November 14, what are you doing? At the moment, nothing, but that will probably change between now and then.
4. What color are your toenails usually? Something in the red/burgundy family. Right now, they're horribly chipped up, and are way overdue for a fresh coat.
5. What was the last thing you highlighted? Probably a knitting chart.
6. What color are the curtains in your bedroom? Don't have any right now, just dingy off-white mini blinds that came with the house.
7. What color are the seats in your car? Grey.
8. Have you ever had a black and white cat? Yep. My first cat ever was a tiny little black and white girl we called Stimpy.
9. What is the last thing you put a stamp on? Thank you notes the kids had written.
10. Do you know anyone who lives in Wyoming? No.
11. Why did you withdraw cash from the ATM the last time? To grocery shop.
12. Who is the last baby that you held? Kaitlyn is half asleep nursing in my lap as I type this. :)
13. Can you spell well? Yep.
14. Do you like cinnamon toothpaste? Nope.
16. Pick one: Miami Hurricanes or Florida Gators. Uh...this is a sports question, right?
17. Last time you went to Six Flags? In June, for the first time in about 10 years. The kids earned those free tickets for reading six hours.
18. Do you have any wallpaper in your house? Unfortunately. It's in the kitchen, peeling off, and u-g-l-y. Came with the house. Slated for removal in the very near future.
19. Closest thing to you that is yellow? A yellow Starburst wrapper left on the desk.
20. Last person you gave a business card? The clerk at the cake decorating store, so I could pre-order tubs of icing for the cupcake classes I'm teaching as part of our homeschool co-op.
21. Who was the last person you wrote a check to? The eye doctor last week.
22. Closest framed picture to you? One of Abby, Natalie, and Gillian under a tree in my mom's backyard. Gill was probably 3 or 4 months old at the time.
23. Last time you had someone cook for you? We went to Mom's for dinner last Sunday and she made pork roast, mashed potatoes, and apple cider cake. Yum.
24. Have you ever felt you weren’t good enough? Yep.
25. How many emails do you get in your inbox daily (excluding spam)? Oh, gosh...probably 30 or so. I'm on a lot of Yahoo groups, and most of our homeschool classes and things are planned via e-mail.
26. Last time you received flowers? A friend of ours brought a vase of yellow daisies to the house for Kaitlyn's baptism in April. (I'm not real big on fresh flowers, truth be told.)
28. Do you play air guitar? No.
29. Has anyone ever proposed to you? Yes. :)
30. Do you take anything in your coffee? Milk and a little sugar, or just a little flavored creamer (which is plenty sweet for my tastes.) If we go out for coffee, I've been known to order a peppermint latte more often than not.
31. Do you have any Willow Tree figurines? Three.
32. What is/was your high school’s mascot? The husky.
33. Last person you spoke to from high school? That would be my husband. :)
34. Last time you used hand sanitizer? Probably sometime in the last week or so. I don't use it often, but I do carry it in the diaper bag. You just never know what the bathroom at the park will be like.
35. Would you like to learn to play the drums? Not so much.
36. What color are the blinds in your living room? Dingy off-white.
38. Last thing you read in the newspaper? The comics. I have to admit I get most of my news online, but I do prefer the comics on paper.
39. What was the last pageant you attended? Um...I don't think I have ever attended a pageant.
40. Last place you bought pizza from? Cecil Whittaker's, for our anniversary/The Office premiere. It was the first time we've ordered out for pizza in months!
41. Have you ever worn a crown? Yep. I get roped into wearing a dress-up crown regularly, and I rather like having an excuse to wear a tiara with my jeans!
42. What is the last thing you stapled? Hmmm...probably papers to send home with my preschoolers at church.
43. Did you ever drink clear Pepsi? Nope.
44. Are you ticklish? Not really.
45. Last time you saw fireworks? Probably Fourth of July, but I'm not sure.
46. Last time you had a Krispy Kreme doughnut? It's been forever. I don't like them cold, and the nearest actual Krispy Kreme is about half an hour away.
47. Who is the last person that left you a message & you actually returned? My sister.
48. Last time you parked under a carport? We have a carport, but our van doesn't fit under there.
49. Do you have a black dog? Nope, no doggies at all.
50. Can you give one reason why David Caruso is allowed to keep acting? Because I like staying up late on Saturdays watching reruns of CSI:Miami after SNL and knitting. I never meant to get hooked, I swear!
51. Are you an aunt or uncle? Not really, although my brother and his fiance got a puppy last week.
52. Who has the prettiest eyes that you know of? My girls.
53. Last time you saw a semi truck? Saturday, on the way home from science class.
54. Do you remember Ugly Kid Joe? Yep. Senior year of high school, "I Hate Everything About You" and that awful cover of "Cat's in the Cradle."
55. Do you have a little black dress? Yes, although it's less than flattering since I bought it when I was in great shape and only had two kids.
1. Are you taller than your best friend? Um...that involves picking/having a best friend. Generally, though, I'm the short one.
2. Do you have a favorite type of pen? Black ink, preferably a smooth-writing gel pen.
3. Look at your planner for November 14, what are you doing? At the moment, nothing, but that will probably change between now and then.
4. What color are your toenails usually? Something in the red/burgundy family. Right now, they're horribly chipped up, and are way overdue for a fresh coat.
5. What was the last thing you highlighted? Probably a knitting chart.
6. What color are the curtains in your bedroom? Don't have any right now, just dingy off-white mini blinds that came with the house.
7. What color are the seats in your car? Grey.
8. Have you ever had a black and white cat? Yep. My first cat ever was a tiny little black and white girl we called Stimpy.
9. What is the last thing you put a stamp on? Thank you notes the kids had written.
10. Do you know anyone who lives in Wyoming? No.
11. Why did you withdraw cash from the ATM the last time? To grocery shop.
12. Who is the last baby that you held? Kaitlyn is half asleep nursing in my lap as I type this. :)
13. Can you spell well? Yep.
14. Do you like cinnamon toothpaste? Nope.
16. Pick one: Miami Hurricanes or Florida Gators. Uh...this is a sports question, right?
17. Last time you went to Six Flags? In June, for the first time in about 10 years. The kids earned those free tickets for reading six hours.
18. Do you have any wallpaper in your house? Unfortunately. It's in the kitchen, peeling off, and u-g-l-y. Came with the house. Slated for removal in the very near future.
19. Closest thing to you that is yellow? A yellow Starburst wrapper left on the desk.
20. Last person you gave a business card? The clerk at the cake decorating store, so I could pre-order tubs of icing for the cupcake classes I'm teaching as part of our homeschool co-op.
21. Who was the last person you wrote a check to? The eye doctor last week.
22. Closest framed picture to you? One of Abby, Natalie, and Gillian under a tree in my mom's backyard. Gill was probably 3 or 4 months old at the time.
23. Last time you had someone cook for you? We went to Mom's for dinner last Sunday and she made pork roast, mashed potatoes, and apple cider cake. Yum.
24. Have you ever felt you weren’t good enough? Yep.
25. How many emails do you get in your inbox daily (excluding spam)? Oh, gosh...probably 30 or so. I'm on a lot of Yahoo groups, and most of our homeschool classes and things are planned via e-mail.
26. Last time you received flowers? A friend of ours brought a vase of yellow daisies to the house for Kaitlyn's baptism in April. (I'm not real big on fresh flowers, truth be told.)
28. Do you play air guitar? No.
29. Has anyone ever proposed to you? Yes. :)
30. Do you take anything in your coffee? Milk and a little sugar, or just a little flavored creamer (which is plenty sweet for my tastes.) If we go out for coffee, I've been known to order a peppermint latte more often than not.
31. Do you have any Willow Tree figurines? Three.
32. What is/was your high school’s mascot? The husky.
33. Last person you spoke to from high school? That would be my husband. :)
34. Last time you used hand sanitizer? Probably sometime in the last week or so. I don't use it often, but I do carry it in the diaper bag. You just never know what the bathroom at the park will be like.
35. Would you like to learn to play the drums? Not so much.
36. What color are the blinds in your living room? Dingy off-white.
38. Last thing you read in the newspaper? The comics. I have to admit I get most of my news online, but I do prefer the comics on paper.
39. What was the last pageant you attended? Um...I don't think I have ever attended a pageant.
40. Last place you bought pizza from? Cecil Whittaker's, for our anniversary/The Office premiere. It was the first time we've ordered out for pizza in months!
41. Have you ever worn a crown? Yep. I get roped into wearing a dress-up crown regularly, and I rather like having an excuse to wear a tiara with my jeans!
42. What is the last thing you stapled? Hmmm...probably papers to send home with my preschoolers at church.
43. Did you ever drink clear Pepsi? Nope.
44. Are you ticklish? Not really.
45. Last time you saw fireworks? Probably Fourth of July, but I'm not sure.
46. Last time you had a Krispy Kreme doughnut? It's been forever. I don't like them cold, and the nearest actual Krispy Kreme is about half an hour away.
47. Who is the last person that left you a message & you actually returned? My sister.
48. Last time you parked under a carport? We have a carport, but our van doesn't fit under there.
49. Do you have a black dog? Nope, no doggies at all.
50. Can you give one reason why David Caruso is allowed to keep acting? Because I like staying up late on Saturdays watching reruns of CSI:Miami after SNL and knitting. I never meant to get hooked, I swear!
51. Are you an aunt or uncle? Not really, although my brother and his fiance got a puppy last week.
52. Who has the prettiest eyes that you know of? My girls.
53. Last time you saw a semi truck? Saturday, on the way home from science class.
54. Do you remember Ugly Kid Joe? Yep. Senior year of high school, "I Hate Everything About You" and that awful cover of "Cat's in the Cradle."
55. Do you have a little black dress? Yes, although it's less than flattering since I bought it when I was in great shape and only had two kids.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Back To School
I'm supposed to be working on my welcome letter for PSR. (I teach preschool at our Parish School of Religion on Monday nights. Beginning catechesis for the 3-5 year old set. It's a bit challenging to make something as big as the Catholic faith accessible to little ones, but it's a lot of fun, too.) What *am* I doing? Blogging. It's still writing, right? :) It's just so hard to find a tactful way to say "Please have your kid pee before class starts, because I can't watch 8 other kids from the bathroom stall while I'm patiently waiting to help your child pull their pants back up." Really, I'd think it was common sense to have your three year old go before class, but maybe not. I swear, there were weeks last year when I spent more time in the potty than in the classroom. Thank heaven we have a bathroom (with two stalls, no less!) attached to our classroom.
It's really hard to believe we're almost to Labor Day already. Time seems to just sneak right by me without me even noticing it. Kaitlyn will be 7 months next week. I'm still not sure where the time's gone. It seems like we took it so easy this summer and didn't overdo it, and yet, when I look back, it seems like we were always busy. I'm sure that happens to every parent, but I'm just can't seem to figure out where the hours go. It seems like the days drag on and on and on, and then bam! it's bedtime. Weird.
Since I neglected to blog about this before, I got my Sockapalooza socks a few weeks ago. They are lovely, and have already been washed once, having worn them around the house for several days despite the oppressing heat wave. Alli of Knitosaurus was my sock pal, and she sent lovely Charade socks knit with ArtYarns Supermerino.
Note the hand. I had help taking pictures of the socks.
Oh, and for Rosemary - promised you an SPS once life slowed down a bit after the baby was born. This would be me working on the above-mentioned parent letter.
Perhaps a simple "I'm so glad to have your child in class this year!" will suffice for the first night, and we'll see if anything needs to be said about the potty obsession after the first week.
ETA: My other sock pal got her socks. I...um...think she likes 'em. Go check out the photography - Kris, I've never seen anything I've made photographed so beautifully before! :)
It's really hard to believe we're almost to Labor Day already. Time seems to just sneak right by me without me even noticing it. Kaitlyn will be 7 months next week. I'm still not sure where the time's gone. It seems like we took it so easy this summer and didn't overdo it, and yet, when I look back, it seems like we were always busy. I'm sure that happens to every parent, but I'm just can't seem to figure out where the hours go. It seems like the days drag on and on and on, and then bam! it's bedtime. Weird.
Since I neglected to blog about this before, I got my Sockapalooza socks a few weeks ago. They are lovely, and have already been washed once, having worn them around the house for several days despite the oppressing heat wave. Alli of Knitosaurus was my sock pal, and she sent lovely Charade socks knit with ArtYarns Supermerino.
Note the hand. I had help taking pictures of the socks.
Oh, and for Rosemary - promised you an SPS once life slowed down a bit after the baby was born. This would be me working on the above-mentioned parent letter.
Perhaps a simple "I'm so glad to have your child in class this year!" will suffice for the first night, and we'll see if anything needs to be said about the potty obsession after the first week.
ETA: My other sock pal got her socks. I...um...think she likes 'em. Go check out the photography - Kris, I've never seen anything I've made photographed so beautifully before! :)
Monday, August 6, 2007
EZ and Snickerdoodles
I got a copy of Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitting Workshop from the library two weeks ago. I returned it today, mostly unread. I tried and tried, but I just can't get into her writing style. And the patterns strike me as...odd. I was making snickerdoodles this evening, referencing my trusty Betty Crocker cookbook, and as I was measuring sugar (ooops, that was a little too much - I'll scoop a little low for the next cup) and salt (eyeballing the center of the palm of my hand for 1/4 teaspoon, as I've done for years with near-accuracy) I came to a key realization. I largely cook by instinct. I sniff, I taste, I know what works together, and I use recipes as guidelines and tweak practically everything.
With knitting, I like my patterns nice and straightforward. I don't really care for charts, I don't really care for vague directions. I like to be told what to do, and I find great satisfaction in replicating the pattern. Don't get me wrong, I do make modifications from time to time (I'm notorious for making 2x2 ribbing on a sock whether anyone likes it or not, because 1x1 twisted rib makes me bonkers!) but for the most part, if I knit a pattern, it's because I want what's in the picture, not because it would look cute with different sleeves, that collar, and maybe with a cable thrown in for fun. I'm just not an experimental knitter. I'm not a designer. I just like shiny sticks, pretty string, and the satisfaction of "hey, *I* made that with my own two hands!"
And Elizabeth's patterns are much like getting a recipe from my mom. When she gives me a recipe, it will often look something like this:
chicken, water, S&P
carrots, celery, onion, etc.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Toss in rice/noodles for last 10 min. or so.
I KNOW exactly what that means. I KNOW, from those vague bare bones, that I will end up with a fantastic pot of chicken and rice soup, which, while totally different from Mom's soup, is still delicious, and everyone will eat it, because I know how to cook, I trust myself in the kitchen, and I go in with the attitude that if it's awful, we can always have grilled cheese.
I don't see wool and knitting patterns the same way, and quite frankly, the directions for the Tomten Jacket, to me, read about the same as Mom's recipes. If you're confident, have an idea of the end product, and trust your abilities, it's great. For me as a knitter, well, it's sort of like learning to make pie crust over the phone. The intentions are good, but I suspect I'll never really "get" the genius that is EZ. Now, did that stop me from having a burning desire to knit a Baby Surprise Jacket? Of course not, but at least for now, I'll roll with my socks, which make me happy, don't stress me out, and make me happy to put in a few rows on while I'm waiting the nine minutes for fresh, hot cookies from the oven.
With knitting, I like my patterns nice and straightforward. I don't really care for charts, I don't really care for vague directions. I like to be told what to do, and I find great satisfaction in replicating the pattern. Don't get me wrong, I do make modifications from time to time (I'm notorious for making 2x2 ribbing on a sock whether anyone likes it or not, because 1x1 twisted rib makes me bonkers!) but for the most part, if I knit a pattern, it's because I want what's in the picture, not because it would look cute with different sleeves, that collar, and maybe with a cable thrown in for fun. I'm just not an experimental knitter. I'm not a designer. I just like shiny sticks, pretty string, and the satisfaction of "hey, *I* made that with my own two hands!"
And Elizabeth's patterns are much like getting a recipe from my mom. When she gives me a recipe, it will often look something like this:
chicken, water, S&P
carrots, celery, onion, etc.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Toss in rice/noodles for last 10 min. or so.
I KNOW exactly what that means. I KNOW, from those vague bare bones, that I will end up with a fantastic pot of chicken and rice soup, which, while totally different from Mom's soup, is still delicious, and everyone will eat it, because I know how to cook, I trust myself in the kitchen, and I go in with the attitude that if it's awful, we can always have grilled cheese.
I don't see wool and knitting patterns the same way, and quite frankly, the directions for the Tomten Jacket, to me, read about the same as Mom's recipes. If you're confident, have an idea of the end product, and trust your abilities, it's great. For me as a knitter, well, it's sort of like learning to make pie crust over the phone. The intentions are good, but I suspect I'll never really "get" the genius that is EZ. Now, did that stop me from having a burning desire to knit a Baby Surprise Jacket? Of course not, but at least for now, I'll roll with my socks, which make me happy, don't stress me out, and make me happy to put in a few rows on while I'm waiting the nine minutes for fresh, hot cookies from the oven.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
