Knit, Sleep and Play Video Games

Retail Therapy

2010-05-01T21:07:00.000-07:00

I hate to shop. No wait, I love to shop. I mean I hate to shop for clothes, but love to shop for yarn. When someone says, "Let's go shopping!" I don't think mall or clothes or shoes or furniture (ok, sometimes I do think shoes). I think yarn. Where's the nearest yarn store?

I haven't bought a new article of clothing since, let me think. . .last summer! My closet is half filled with tired, ill-fitting clothes, and my shoes are falling apart. I hate my wardrobe.

The den closet, on the other hand, is filled with vibrant, soft, luscious yarn - all waiting to be handled, squished, sniffed and eventually knit into something equally vibrant, soft and luscious (and sniffy). As soon as I use up one ball of yarn, I replace it with 3 more. I have more skeins of yarn than I have pairs of shoes, and that's saying something. I love my stash!

Last week, I realized I have a problem. I told my husband I was going to the post office. Truth. Then I made a side trip to the yarn store. I just wanted to have a peek around (honestly, that's all) to see if there was anything new.

There was.

Oh boy was there!

Would I like a basket? No thank you, I'm just looking.

But I couldn't keep my hands off the yarn.

Malabrigo Twist!

Malabrigo Sock!

Jojoland Melody!

I walked out of the store with 4 new hanks/balls. But before I did, the shop worker asked if I wanted a bag to carry it in.

I said yes.

And then I said, "It'll be easier to hide it from my husband that w--."

I paused, my mouth still forming the unfinished word, shame filling my soul. Shop guy stopped, looked up at me and said, "You don't know how many times I hear that in this shop."

Oh yes I do.

Would you like to see what I've done with some of my stash?

Miller's Hat (rav link)
Yarn: Cascade 220

Sideways Grande Hat (rav link)
Yarn: Malabrigo Twist

TTL Mystery Sock '09 (rav link)
Yarn: Jojoland Melody Superwash

Ulmus Rectangle (rav link)
Yarn: Shaefer Yarn Nichole, Pagewood Farm Glacier Bay

Tiny Elephant Terrors

2010-01-27T15:02:00.000-08:00

One day, about two years ago, my dear friend told me in secret that she was going to have a baby.

"What joy!" I thought.

And then I wondered what I would make for the little darling? A blanket? Yes a blanket would be good - let's go with that. The days and months passed and I held on to the blanket idea.

"I've got plenty of time", I reassured myself.

"I'm sure I can find the perfect pattern tonight", I said as I turned on the TV.

"No worries, I'll go to the yarn store tomorrow", a forgotten statement before I even finished it.

"I can whip one out quick as that!" I lied to myself.

And so the days and months continued to pass until one day, a couple of weeks before the due date, I sat myself down and gave me a talking to. "No blanket will make it off your needles in time for this baby. Have you forgotten how slow you are? Do you not remember that sweater you promised your sister last Christmas that still isn't finished?!" And so I bonked myself on the head and decided I needed to take a different route.

Something simple, perhaps a toy. Something quick, that won't annoy. (Boo! bad attempt at rhyming.)

Amigurumi looked interesting, simple and quick. And a tiny elephant would be adorable. So I set forth to make the cutest little toy animal a baby girl could want.

Or, in other words. . .

Last August. . .no, wait. . .the August before that, in 2008, I set about to make a cute little crocheted toy for Jordyn's soon-to-be-born baby.

3 1/2 inches and 17 months later I finally finished it.

Thank you, thank you.

Let's just say me and amigurumi are not friends. And that this little project just reinforced my dislike for sewing (my apologies to the new sewing machine sitting unused for 3 years now (or is it 4?), and to my husband who was sweet enough to buy it for me when I asked for one). Eight separate pieces, crocheted and placed and sewn together. . .and then ripped out and placed and sewn again. Add to this misery my amateur status (which I thought I had overcome, but apparently not). Instead of using my brain - and putting two and two together and thinking ahead - and leaving nice long ends to use for sewing the pieces together, I cut short ends, ends too short to use for anything. Why? You tell me. I have no good answer. It was so long ago. This meant that I would end up with at least twice as many ends to weave in and hide.

So I gave up.

But last night, upon realizing that I would be seeing Jordyn and her sweet Eedy in a couple of days, I set about to tackle the beast. And tackle I did. Deep into the night. All to bring you this tiny accomplishment.

Cute, no?

Remember: 3 1/2 inches tall.

I hope it was worth it.

Booger Bruise and Other Random Thoughts

2010-01-04T09:22:00.000-08:00

1. I looked down at my leg and there it was - a booger bruise. A bump, blue and black and red, with a tinge of purple. Later, it will turn green, then yellow. Booger colors. It's new, and I have no idea how I got it.

2. I have a new primary class. I mean I have my old primary class back. My old sunbeams are my new CTR 5's. How cool is that? One boy said to me, "You were my favorite sunbeam teacher". Thanks kiddo, I was your only sunbeam teacher.

3. My hands are covered in elephant skin.

4. The Cat hates when humans whistle. One day I will record on video how supremely annoyed he gets when we whistle. Violently annoyed. It's supremely hilarious to the humans.

5. Time for some knit pics. I forgot to photograph half of my finished Christmas projects before hastily sending them off. Here are the ones I didn't forget.

A hat and scarf set (ravelry link) for Jake.

A hat (ravelry link) for Elise.

6. This picture makes me think turnip. It doesn't look anything like a turnip. But I still think turnip when I see it.

7. An accidental upload. Random. But too cute to delete.
And there you have it.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T13:47:00.001-08:00

May your every wish come true.

Springtime in Autumn

2009-11-14T14:45:00.001-08:00

Autumn is my favorite time of year. Cool mornings, knitting on the porch, approaching holidays, relief from searing temperatures, birthdays, socktoberfest - this time of year refreshes my soul. The best part of the season, however, are the colors. In the mountains, we take in these sights. But down here in the valley, it's plantin' time. Peach and pink and white and burgundy and purple and yellow and green. . .

. . .and orange.

Lost and. . .Still Lost.

2009-09-30T19:20:00.000-07:00

A text conversation (textversation? convertextion?) with Daren.

Note: We use whole words and complete sentences when we text. Call us old-fashioned.

Daren: Did I leave my USB drive at the office the other night?

Me: Yes. I put it in the drawer.

D: Thanks. I'm losing my mind.

M: I put that in the drawer, too.

D: Still can't find THAT. I think it ran away.

M: Oh. I wonder whose mind is in the drawer then.

D: Mom's! :-D

Later that morning, mom told me for the 57423 time that she didn't know where her mind was.

I told her to look in the drawer.

The Right Thing to Say

2009-08-29T11:38:00.000-07:00

The other day we all arrived home at the same time. I had picked Ceres up from school and Dave was finished working for the day. I noticed my husband looked tired and grumpy. Nevertheless, I was happy to see him. As he stumbled toward the front door, I addressed him.

Me: "I honey, you're home!"

Mr. Grumpy Pants: "Grumble, grumble."

Me: "I see that you come home to your family with and smile on your face and a spring in your step."

MGP: "Grumble, grumble."

At this point Ceres, my dear teenager, has lugged his cello out of the back of the car and chimes in.

Ceres: ". . . and a fart in your butt."

MGP: (smiles)

My dear husband's sour mood is lifted.

And I can't stop laughing.

The dreaded teenager years are turning out to be quite entertaining.

Summer Series 2009 - Aestlight Shawl and Other Things Shetland

2009-08-08T10:42:00.000-07:00

Several months ago, Sydney began radiation treatment on her throat for anaplastic thyroid cancer. A few weeks after the treatment started, she texted me and asked if I had any hats she could wear because the bottom 2 inches of her hair were falling out and she wanted to hide the bald spots. I had a cabled beanie in yellow and brown tones that I sent her way, but knew that she needed something cuter and more stylish. I was thinking of a beret. And so I combed through hundreds of beret patterns on ravelry and came up with a few that I liked. I had my favorite, but thought I'd ask Candace her opinion. My favorite was her favorite, too. Two different faces, but in tight places we think and we act as one, mmhmm.

My main concern was that, although it was still February up there in Utah, the beret might be too warm. The pattern had enough of a lace pattern to allow for airflow - I just needed a lightweight yarn that would still hold shape. I decided on Mirasol Nuna in colorway Royal Purple, a wool/silk/bamboo blend with beautiful sheen and rich colors, and got to work.

I fell in love with the beret. It's Bousta Beret from The Shetland Trader (Gudrun Johnston). Such a beautiful pattern that was quick and easy to knit up and included an adorable i-cord "tail" at the top. The yarn was smooth, the color deep and mesmerizing. I sent it along to my dear sister, but knew I had to make more for Candace and Toni.

But first, me.

Haha, I can be selfish when no one else knows my plans. And for me, the color is green, of course. Again Mirasol Nuna. Candace's beret came next. Since I was making berets in our favorite colors, I needed a yellow yarn. And here Mirasol failed me. I was hoping for twinsy (squared) berets for the four of us - same pattern, same yarn. But Mirasol doesn't make Nuna in yellow. So I searched elsewhere, and found that yellow, a really beautiful, soft, not greenish or orangey or grayish yellow, is hard to find. I finally settled on Louisa Harding Kashmir DK, a wool/microfiber/cashmere yarn in a beautiful sunny yellow. Toni's beret is in Mirasol Nuna colorway Myrtle (blue) to match her lovely eyes. I asked Candace if she thought Toni would wear the beret. She said she didn't know but that it sure is pretty. Ha, I agree.

Syd's

Mine

Candace's

Toni's

cute i-cord

My love affair wasn't over, though. There were more Shetland Trader patterns to try. And the Breiwick beret was begging to be knit up. I found a nice lime colored yarn - Cascade Yarns 220 Heathers - and spent my Memorial Day weekend in the AZ White Mountains knitting the beret. I love this beret. So comfortable, the design so pleasing. I wear it around the house (for about 2 minutes, until my head gets hot) and dream of a day, in about 4 months, when it might actually be cool enough here to wear it outside.

I was also discovering that Gudrun's designs were a perfect combination of simplicity and beauty. Curious about what projects she was working on I began to follow her blog. And then, in June, she called out to her readers for some volunteers to test knit a shawl she had designed. I immediately left a comment that I was willing to give it a go. To my surprise and glee, she chose me as one of the test knitters. The shawl is called Aestlight (east light), and Gudrun had knit up a lovely shawl in a golden color. I chose a variegated yarn by Schaefer Yarn Company in blue and coppery and pink tones. It reminded me of the color of the sky here in Arizona before sunrise. It's a wonderful yarn, soft and smooth with strong stitch definition.

The pattern was pretty much perfect, so I spent my time just enjoying the knitting. I'm not a huge fan of garter stitch (which makes up the body of the shawl), preferring instead some stitch variation to keep me interested. But, again, simplicity here didn't necessarily mean boring. Before I knew it, I was on to the border, working a easy and beautiful lace pattern. And then came the edge, knitted sideways to the shawl, finishing the shawl one stitch at a time.

Beautiful.

I love this shawl and have already started another. Mom and Velma also love the shawl and have asked if I'm giving it away to anyone (i.e, to one of them). Hmmm, I don't know - but wouldn't it be nice to have a Christmas gift finished already? Yeah, right. Not my style.

I think Gudrun struck gold with this shawl. It was such a fun experience to test knit for her.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I love my sisters, and the opportunities they give me to knit for them. I love making these things and knowing they're for someone special. Sydney is going to be okay and I am so thankful for that, and for her. She is an important part of my life. I'm pretty sure she knows that - even if she doesn't read my blog.

Summer Series 2009 - Puppies

2009-07-17T18:07:00.000-07:00

I forgot how adorable puppies can be. This is Rinka's four week old litter. All male. There was a female, but she did not survive - poor thing.

The light colored pup is T-Bone. Dave's decided we're keeping him. He was the biggest and fattest pup of the litter when they were born. The others have caught up to his size, but he continues to be the leader of the pack, so to speak, and very independent. The chocolate pup is the runt of the litter. His name is Rocky. His coloring reminds me of Rocky Road ice cream (mmmm, ice cream). He's still the smallest, and his brothers sometimes pick on him, but he's holding his own. I've kinda grown attached to him. From the front he looks like a little bulldog - his legs are still bowed and his front paws are huge. We don't have names for the black puppies yet. Right now they go by Gray Socks and White Socks.

For the first two weeks of their lives we didn't have access to the puppies because Rinka hid them deep under a large lantana bush (have I mentioned how much I hate lantanas?). But Ceres and Dave managed to belly-crawl their way into the den to check on them and to pull them out. We bring them inside the house in the afternoon for some A/C therapy. It doesn't matter how big a bush is, it's not going to keep them cool in 115 degree weather. In the past couple of days, however, nobody has had to crawl under the bush because the pups are hanging out outside of it, playing and napping under the shade of the pomegranate tree. Life is good for the little guys.

The Cat hates them all, of course, and sleeps on my bed until we take them back outside.

Summer Series 2009 - Aikido

2009-07-14T09:03:00.000-07:00

So many things to write about and no desire to write it. I blame it on the weather. Too hot, no rain - even the pool is almost too warm to enjoy. Sigh.

The days keep coming and going and I'll soon forget them. So, in no particular order, I am committing myself to a series of blog posts about this summer. Here's a list (to help remind me):

puppies
Aikido
shawl
camping
4th of July
hoo-ha
boot camp
Candace's wedding (a year ago)
Baby (the dog)

Curious? So am I.

Today, I'll start with Aikido.

A year ago we put Ceres in an Aikido class to keep him active during the lazy days of his summer. We fully expected him to hate it and quit after the first month. At the end of the first class I asked him what he thought. He gave his standard answer, a shrug of the shoulders and an "it's okay", which totally got me excited because this meant he was giving it a chance. And he did. In fact, he is still studying it, looking forward to each class. And he has never once - let me say that again - not once complained about having to go. My record, I'm sorry to admit, was never that good when it came to ballet.

And so, almost exactly a year after his first class, Ceres tested for and was promoted to the rank of Rokkyu. That's a yellow belt in case you are wondering. We are so proud of him! Proud of his committment, his confidence, his character. I love this kid!

Sensei David Keller and Ceres
To read previous posts about Aikido, go here (where it started), and here (first test).

What Does the Cat Like To Do?

2009-06-09T21:40:00.000-07:00

Sleep on the newly knit sock.

How does Dobbs react to the discovery? "That punk cat!"

Washington DC

2009-05-30T09:35:00.000-07:00

I need to write something here. But where to start?

Ceres' Close Up D.C. trip? It might be nice to preserve that memory ... from my perspective. Which is, that those 6 days in Washington were all a blur to me, and probably Ceres too. Ceres was whisked from one tourist sight to the next, given only an hour or two at each place. The things I remember most about his trip were that the Obama's were always gettin' in the way of Ceres' fun. As in, the kids were shoo-ed away from the White House gate because the Obama's were coming out to walk their dog; and they couldn't sit in on a session of Congress because the First Lady was attending and security had been ramped up (in other words, threat alert, no school children and their cameras allowed). Other than that, Ceres got to see memorials and museums, a bell, and maybe a library - but only a taste of these places. I wonder what place he gives this opportunity in his heart and memory. It's more than I've ever experienced and I'm grateful that this is his moment to keep.

I sure missed the kid though. I closed his bedroom door while he was away so that his mess wouldn't make me miss him more. We anxiously awaited his call every night, despite Ceres being a creature of few words and we having to reach into the furthest corners of our curiosity to ask enough questions to keep him on the phone and the conversation going. I sensed, though, that Ceres didn't want the calls to end - even when there was silence between the lines. I would ask if he wanted to go and he would say no, it's ok. It made me feel good to now that he missed us too and pined for home.

And the kid amazed me with his picture taking skills. Seriously. These are the first pictures he's ever taken. I gave him my old Samsung A400, and after a brief tutorial on how to use it Ceres was cranking out these. (I'd caption these, but Ceres isn't home. Maybe, when he has a moment to spare in his super busy summer vacation schedule, he can tell me where these photos were taken.)

Skilz.

p.s. Ceres forgot to take his belt, so he bought one in the hotel gift shop. It's a money belt (fitting). I'd take a picture of it, but I can't find it. Ceres is probably wearing it right now wherever he is in his super busy summer vacation schedule.

Ai Que Vida (part 2)

2009-04-28T14:02:00.000-07:00

This is a video I found on youtube today. Loved it. Reminds me of the way I like to choreograph - with a bit of quirkiness while maintaining technique and beautiful lines. Love the dancers, too - classically trained yet versatile.

I need to choreograph something.

Without Interruption

2009-04-10T17:57:00.000-07:00

Things I did this afternoon.

1. Watched last night's episodes of the Office, 30 Rock and Samantha Who?. I did not watch them last night because, in a reversal of roles I can only blame on the full moon, I could not stay awake while Dave enjoyed every moment of the shows with full mental clarity and eyes wide open. I'm surprised he wasn't knitting, too.

2. Photographed the Mother of Pearl Scarf before I send it off to Elisabeth.

Even if she can't use it until October, at least she can hang it above her bed, or frame it, or twirl around her room while holding it in her outstretched arms singing "I could've danced all night" and admiring its beauty.

3. Raveled the Mother of Pearl Scarf,

and the green Bousta Beret,

and Ceres' Lacunae hat.
(Note: Downloading my pictures to the computer, then to Flickr, just so I can get them on Ravelry is a pain in my buttocks.)

4. Marveled at the amount of dust that has collected in the house since the weather got nice enough to keep the windows open.

5. Thought about how something should be done about that dust.

6. Decided the garbage is not going to take itself out. Neither will Dave or Ceres be taking out the garbage as they are camping tonight. I have reluctantly agreed with myself that I must take out the garbage because, conveniently for Dave and Ceres, I can't stand it any more. (No pictures - sorry.)

7. Snipped a little rose for my little vase.

8. Turned on Direct TV to find the channel set to the XM-Grunge music station. Left it on while I did the above items.

9. Realized that I not only recognize, but can also sing along and head bang to more '90s grunge music than I'd like to admit.

10. Felt the wind (and dust) rushing through the house, watched the clouds roll in and decided that, no matter the temperature inside or out, a nice cup of hot cocoa is in order.

Mutual, I'm Sure

2009-04-03T12:54:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, I was getting gas at QT when I noticed, out of the corner of my eye, someone on a bike approaching me. I looked to see if I was on a collision course with the cyclist or if I was just going to be asked for money. My eyes met those of the rider, set in a skinny face, with goatee and neck tattoos. I deduced that he was only passing by, a little too closely probably, and looked back to my car. As I did so, he mumbled to me, "Try not to look so happy."

Excuse me?!

Excuse me, but was he just thinking about how he has to spend Saturday morning in defensive driving school? A beautiful morning, one of the last remaining of the Glorious Months (see previous post), seated inside a windowless building, listening to blah, blah, blah??

I think not.

Then again, maybe that's why he's stuck riding a bicycle.

p.s. I shall wear my glum expression proudly until 12:30 pm MST on Saturday, April 4, 2009, thank you very much. After which, I will put his sarcastic advise to work and turn my frown upside down, thank you very much.

Spring Fashion

2009-03-26T08:54:00.000-07:00

It is said that southern Arizona has only two seasons: summer and not-summer. Six months of torture and six months of convincing ourselves the other six months really weren't that bad because these six months are downright glorious.

Sometime toward the end of the Glorious months, Spring, an actual season, makes a brief and uplifting appearance. It starts early. Tentatively, in January, when our trees are simultaneously dropping leaves and budding out, and the bulbs are starting to poke through the dirt. And then a couple of nights of freezing temperatures slows everything down. Oh right, Spring says, the calendar says it's still winter, let's wait until March.

And then it happens. Over night.

Orange blossoms. And jasmine. It's intoxicating.

The citrus trees are covered in snow.

The pomegranates are blossoming. . .

. . .and the figs growing.

Daisies and wildflowers popping up everywhere.

There are rose buds and lady bugs. . .

and grapes.

Warm afternoons and cool nights. Tiny, fragile hummingbird nests. Breezes rushing through open windows and doors, threatening to knock over delicate trinkets and potted plants. Wind chimes, wonderful wind chimes. Birds singing through the night.

And knitting out on the front porch.

Joggers and hikers. Home mechanics and music. Teenagers and clueless other-agers in shorty-shorts and flip flops.

For a few short weeks, promises and illusions of bounty to come.

And then it happens. Over night. It's gone.

Summer is upon us.

And the shorty-shorts are out in full force.

Da Bousta It Is

2009-03-05T21:59:00.000-08:00

If Sydney would read my blog, she'd know that this little beauty. . .

. . . is coming her way soon. Really soon. To a doorstep near her.

Pattern: [Da] Bousta Beret by Gudrun Johnston

I really enjoyed knitting this beret - once I got started on it for real. I knitted a gauge swatch and cast on. Several rows into the pattern I realized that the ribbed band was only going to fit a small dog. So I went up a needle size and started over. Hmmm. . .baby-sized.

So I started again.

Eventually, I just added extra stitches to the band and knit the rest of the hat according to the pattern. And here it is, Syd's loverly Bousta (rhyme) Beret.

I have delicious plans (or a delicious plan) for this pattern.

Freaky Hands

2009-03-03T08:01:00.000-08:00

Have I mentioned the many talents of my son?

Here's one. . .

He gets it from me.

I'm so proud.

Kristen Needs. . .

2009-02-18T07:00:00.000-08:00

This has been around for a while, but it's new to me. I saw it on Anna's blog and decided to try it. Go to google, type in "[your name] needs", and discover your 10 most important (or funniest, or revealing) needs.

Mine are. . .

Kristen needs:
1. to tone down her hair color about 50 shades.

2. aspirin, stat!

3. deep cleaning.

4. to give Rob a chance. (Don't tell Dave.)

5. to dump her other boyfriend. (Oops. Don't tell Rob.)

6. advice.

7. to wash her socks.

8. a reason to believe.

9. someone with her at all times to make sure she keeps breathing.

And my favorite. . .

10. MORE COWBELL. Yeah!

Snow Day

2009-02-14T21:00:00.001-08:00

We had so much fun playing in the snow with the Curtis' today.

We drove out past Payson,

stopped in Heber to have some fantastic burgers at Red Onion,

found a place to get the Jeep stuck (haha, oops!),

and then found a great place to sled and play.

the Hill

Dobbs' wall of snow blocks

too cute girls

Ceres blazing a trail

my snowman, made with the help of the too cute girls

E'owyn eating snow

Draven flying by

Ceres' "Fort Child Block" (made with blocks the size of small children)

When are we going again?

Double Dealing

2009-02-12T15:15:00.000-08:00

I got caught.

I didn't know I was doing anything wrong.

It seemed perfectly natural to me.

So, last night, when my husband caught me knitting this,
Mother of Pearl Scarf by Grumperina

while watching this,

I admit I felt a little embarrassed. And a little ridiculous, since I can't knit without watching what I'm doing, which makes watching a tutorial about how to knit something while I'm knitting something else pointless and, well, *slightly difficult. I think my dearest husband called my late night excess a Knitting Party For One. Ouch!

Today, however, I found a more suitable name for it - double dealing.

Because, apparently, I wasn't the only knitter caught doing it last night.

We are so knotty.

In our household we say, "Is it pathetic? Or is it prophetic?"

I think this falls in the pathetic category.

*Colleen, can that be compared to "almost amazed"?

020697

2009-02-06T00:00:00.000-08:00

12 years.

MYLY

Dave Runs A Marathon

2009-02-04T17:58:00.000-08:00

January 18, 2009

Dave lamented the whole time he was in line to register for the P.F. Chang's Rock 'n Roll 1/2 Marathon that he wasn't signing up for the full marathon. I was unsympathetic; I thought he was crazy. I told him to take it easy and try out the 1/2 marathon first and see how it goes. Besides, he'd need to actually train for a full marathon. Sheesh!

Dave finished the race in 2 1/2 hours. He was amazing! But his feelings were bitter sweet. Bitter that his body hurt all over, sweet that he had completed a 1/2 marathon; bitter that he may never want to do that again, sweet in knowing that he is awesome; bitter that we couldn't find him for over an hour after the race, sweet that he finally got to go home and take a nap! And I am still in awe of his ability to run 13.2 miles with minimal (and I mean minimal!) training.

Congratulations!

Dave and Thomas ran the race together. This is before the race - all smiles.

Over 22,000 people ran the 1/2 marathon. They were divided into 24 corrals. Dave and Thomas were in corral 17. And it really was like herding cattle. When the first corral of people would start the race all the others would move forward. After a minute or two, the next corral would leave and everybody would move up again. And so on.

Reflection of the crowd in a window.
The start line.
This is just after leaving the starting line. Ok, Dave is in this picture somewhere. See the palm tree in the background? The guy in the yellow shirt and blue cap in front of it is Thomas. Dave is next to him somewhere.

In the meantime, Ceres, Candace and I went and got some breakfast at La Grande Orange (and picked up some excellent cupcakes). But first we managed to stop at the 5 mile mark and flash a sign at the boys. We thought we were pretty clever. At least one of the runners thought our sign was funny; she chuckled as she went by. Although he veered through the crowd of runners to give us a sweaty hug on the way by, Dave didn't even notice the sign.

Race completed. All smiles again.

The proof.
We didn't make it in time to meet Dave at the finish line. I was so bummed about that. But here are some pics of him finishing the race.

Fitness Tip

2009-02-04T13:46:00.000-08:00

I have a calf muscle that is toning up very nicely, and I don't even have to work at it.

WOW, what's the secret?

I'll tell you. Get yourself a pinched nerve and let it go to town.

How do you get one?

It's simple, really. Go to physical therapy to loosen up some stressed back muscles. As those muscles loosen, your pelvis will begin to shift to a more comfortable position on the left side, and a less comfortable position on the right side. Now feel the pain on your right side as one of your nerves begins to protest, an I've-got-something-to-say-so-let's-march-down-to-capital-hill type of protest. It begins in your bum, travels down the back of your leg and settles in your calf where it initiates a game of Duck, Duck, Goose. "Duck" (feeling pretty good at the moment), "Duck" (think I might try to bend over and pick something, anything, up), GOOSE! (Ok, um...wow, that hurts...must get weight off this leg and...oh, cramp...CRAMP!)

(I like to call it my country music nerve. It twangs, I cringe.)

Cramp and release, cramp and release. Do you see now? Instant toning.

Voila.

Robots or Grandpa?

2009-01-17T17:30:00.000-08:00

A conversation overheard on the light rail today.

Grandpa: . . .that's very dangerous and you should never do that.

Boy: What if I want to go inside a closet full of spiders?

Grandpa: A closet full of big scary spiders would be very dangerous and you shouldn't do it.

Boy: But what if I take a robot with me?

(Me: heehee)

Grandpa: The robot wouldn't know what to do. That's why you have me. I'll always protect you.

(Me: awwww. . .)

The Goblin Haz Frenched Me!

2008-12-29T21:32:00.000-08:00

Oh my! That nasty little goblin has frenched me and I'm not sure if it's a good thing or not. But since it's my first award, I'll take it (see sidebar). But what to do with the great lady? I think I'll look up a cute beret to add to my knitting queue. What do you think of these? More importantly, would Marie Antoinette approve?

C'est bon!

Sikkim by Kirsten Kapur.

Baroness Beret by Susan Power.

And now we must follow the rules, or the Goblin will bite our toes. Believe me, he is not kind!

1. Add the logo/button to your blog
2. Link to the person from whom you received the award
3. Nominate 7 or more blogs
4. Put the links to those blogs on your blog
5. Leave a message on their blog letting them know the honor has been bestowed upon them

I nominate:
1. Superhotmama
2. Elise
3. Jordyn
4. Colleen
5. Natalie
6. Stacy
7. Jayne

Aikido Update

2008-12-29T20:14:00.000-08:00

December 04, 2008

The good news:
Ceres tested for and was promoted to the rank of Hachikyu (green belt). We are so proud of him.

Ceres' Uke, or testing partner, was Koski (I hope I spelled that right). He's standing in front of Sensei in the picture below. He was very helpful and willing to spend extra time to help Ceres prepare for the test. Cool kid.

The bad news:
Darrell Sensei has moved and will no longer be teaching here at the Mesa Dojo. We're glad that Ceres was able to test with him before he left. He's a great teacher and we'll miss him.

Feeling Nostalgic

2008-12-16T09:04:00.000-08:00

I sneaked a picture of Erik in a James Dean-esque moment the other morning.

And it reminded me of this photo of mom and dad with their new car. (I love to see dad's handwriting here.)

This picture was taken 15 or so years before I was born. Another era for sure. But I love to look at old photos of my parents, to see them in their youth and imagine their daily lives of young children, neighborhood friends and dreams for the future. Did it all turn out as they expected? Well, let's see: seven children, all grown now with their own families, a beautiful home to raise them in and plenty of fun memories. I sure hope so.

I came along later in the family and missed some of the action, but I've had a good life so far. And I owe it to these two kids.

Thanks dad and mom.

I Love Autumn

2008-11-08T09:13:00.000-08:00

Night at the Spook Alley

2008-11-04T17:39:00.000-08:00

When monsters breed...

They spawn a giant vampire!!!

EEK!

Happy Halloween!

Ideas for next year (spoiler alert):

Turn atrium into graveyard, complete with fog and headstones
Find pulley and rope for ghost
Get Dave on stilts before the kiddies get here
Lighting needs improvement
Get Ceres into a costume! Whatup?
New horn (heeheehee)
Scare the **** out of the teenagers. Or not. . . .

Some Panic-Induced Cleaning

2008-10-22T23:13:00.000-07:00

We are in the process of buying our house. Need I say more? Let me skip to the appraisal portion of this adventure. . .

When the call came that the appraiser needed to come by and check some things out, I panicked and insisted that the office get cleaned up. It took a whole day. To our amazement, we discovered that a floor does still exist in that room.

I don't have any "before" pictures (wouldn't want the evidence circulating about), but take this mess and apply it to the whole room. Twice.

But I do have "after" pictures. I'm very proud of our new room. It's not perfect, but at least the land mines of paper and toys and sharp things and lost things and forgotten things are gone. Look, a futon! (At the bottom right of the picture.)

And I can now walk into the closet (which, by the way, is twice as big as my bedroom closet - so unfair). I actually laid down in it, just to spend a blissful moment in the space.

And the best part of the whole process. . . .No creepy critters (like roaches, or mice, or goblins) lying in wait. Phew!

And there's more. We took a huge step in completing our bedroom's transformation and got things up on the walls. We still need to paint the doors and vent cover, find some cool new bedding, and get a console table to put our sound system on for our future (distant) flat-panel TV (for which we have devoted a whole wall). And, I am working up the courage to suggest to Dave a ceiling re-paint. But we are getting really close to finally (FINALLY!) completing this room.

Candace also came by and, after making me walk 5 miles (more on that later), dusted and vacuumed. And she cleaned our kitchen cabinet doors and drawers (which have some kind of sticky paint on them and don't have any handles or knobs and are thus, grime magnets). I couldn't be more grateful or lucky. I have the best, bester, bestest sister!

And so, back to the appraiser. Yeah, I'm new at this and I didn't know what to expect and, it turns out, the panicking was unnecessary. Well, actually, not unnecessary - look what it accomplished. But all he did was get the square footage of the inside and outside of the house, ask about gas and/or electric, count bedrooms/bathroom, note shingle tiles and carport, take some pictures (of, among other things, a clean office, aka 3rd bedroom) and threaten to steal Dave's cool riding mower.

Little does he know. . .

Something's Different . . .

2008-10-07T10:10:00.000-07:00

I wonder. . .

What could it be. . .?

(Hint: It's not the tattoo.)

Thank you Candace!!!!

p.s. I love Stacie!

Who Nose?

2008-10-03T15:12:00.000-07:00

I was driving home from work today and I passed a kid, probably no older than a kindergartner, walking home from school. I had noticed him from down the street because he was flinging his arm around, mouthing words to himself. As I passed him, our eyes met. Without losing that eye contact he thrust his finger up his nose and then flung a booger at me. Good thing I hadn't washed my car! My first reaction was indignation - how dare he?! - and then I started laughing. Such a bad attitude for a 5-year-old! He's a fun one, that one. His teacher must loooooove him.

I was thinking maybe he needs a lesson in being more discreet. If you would like to learn some of the finer techniques of nose picking, go here. Cheers!

Birthday Boy

2008-09-22T23:48:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to my favorite son!

Today, although there have been early signs of onset, Ceres officially became a teenager [insert your condolences here]. How did it happen? Where did that little boy, the one who used to shake his booty to jazz music, with the stunning smile and sparkling eyes go? Will I ever see him again?

Occasionally, that boy emerges from its generally happy, but sarcastic and sometimes moody host and reveals his chatty, charming self . Examples of these moments include the trip to Best Buy a couple of days ago to purchase an Xbox 360 Elite for his birthday (I was totally and completely outnumbered on this decision, not to mention not even considered a reliable source of reasoning), the day school started late and his piano lesson was canceled, the drive to a sleepover where there would be much Xbox playing and very little sleep, and finally getting that long-procrastinated book report done. I love those moments.

Somehow, I've got to come to terms with the fact that my son is an ever-changing being progressing through this life at (to me) an alarming speed. My sincerest hope is that he will always find joy, expansive or minute, throughout his life and that his family (well, selfishly, me in particular) will be a major source of that joy to him.

He is my baby, my boy, my teenager, my missionary, my grand children's father, my son. I love him, all.

*Although his birthday was on a Monday, we bought his Xbox the Saturday before. We teased him that, even though he had gone with us to purchase it and that it was in his hot little hands and he could set it up, he wasn't allowed to play it until his birthday. We thought he understood that we were teasing, but he was unsure. It was late when we got home, so he set it up and then went to bed. Sunday morning, I woke up and found him in the family room watching TV. I asked why he wasn't playing Xbox and he replied that he thought he wasn't supposed to play it until Monday. I told him we were only joking. He then jumped up off the couch, said, "See ya!", and zoomed out of the room. We haven't seen him since.

They Weren't Looking at Her Shoes

2008-09-15T23:26:00.000-07:00

My sister, Toni, and her husband came down from Utah this last weekend for my nephew's missionary farewell. While she was here, she and I and mom took a little trip to Dillard's. We stopped in the shoe department to observe a pair of shoes. I liked their greenish color, but the design of the shoe was odd. We had decided we didn't like the shoes when I looked to see what brand they were (you know how, when you're on the fence about a pair of shoes, the brand name can make all the difference of whether they are "worthy" of your feet or not?). Well. . .

They were Jessica Simpson shoes.

As my mom reached to touch them, I exclaimed, "Don't touch those, they have cooties!"

Startled, she drew back her hand and asked, "Huh?"

I first had to tell her who Jessica Simpson was, and then explain to her that my (other) sister and I have boycotted Jessica Simpson's shoe collection because her public image (a little bit dumb, a little bit trashy, a whole lot of fake blonde hair) gives us Roly-Eye-and-Gag Syndrome (yeah, I just made that up. Do I need to explain?).

So we moved on. We had a great weekend with nary another thought of the celebrity. Jake's farewell was awesome; his talk really good (and as Grandma Honey said to me, the most we'd ever heard him talk at once).

Last night, after Toni had flown home, I received a text message from her. Our texting conversation went like this:

Toni: You just missed Jessica Simpson! SLC airport.

He (Randy, her husband) had one of the guys forward a picture so we could send it to you but it didn't come. Sorry.

All these guys are congratulating themselves for getting pictures of her. Oh, now Randy's best friends with them!

Me: That is too funny. Did she have cute shoes on?

Toni: Um, I wasn't that interested so I didn't look. How dumb is that?

Actually I don't think any of the guys were looking at her feet either.

Me: Really??? I thought that would be the first place they'd look. Silly me.

Toni: Fw: here it is.

Me: Oh, cool. Yeah, definitely not looking at her shoes.

I Like Him

2008-09-12T17:04:00.000-07:00

A few nights ago I woke up from a dream. As I shifted my position in bed, Dave murmured something in my ear and settled his arm over me.

"Are you awake?" I asked. "I want to tell you about my dream."

He mumbled yes. I knew he wouldn't remember what I told him, but I wanted to remember the dream. So I proceeded to tell him:

In my dream, my life is pretty much the same as it is now, except that somewhere along life's path, Dave and I had gone our separate ways and I am now married to another man, a nameless, faceless person. I know that, as part of my dream, I love this other man and that he is the father of my son (my same son, who looks just like Dave). However, after all these years, Dave and I meet again. And as we are talking we realize that we were never supposed to have been apart. Without a moment's hesitation I decide that it doesn't matter what it takes, it's time to leave my husband, take my child and be with Dave. It's the right thing to do.

I awake from this dream with the realization that this is affirmation that I have chosen the right person, my real husband, to be my partner through life's journey.

I have often wondered what my life would be like without Dave. Early in our relationship, on more than one occasion, we tried to break up. But we couldn't ever stay apart. And while our relationship was rocky in the beginning, as soon as we got married we settled into happiness and comfort.

I am incredibly lucky to be loved (unconditionally) by this man. And everyday he gives me reasons to love him back.

But we don't say it too often - I love you - because it's more important to us that we like each other. So we say "I like you". And it makes us happy.

Sockology II

2008-09-02T23:02:00.000-07:00

I have managed to post twice in one day. While most of you may die of shock (I'm barely clinging to life myself), I know some of my fellow bloggers will be very proud of me. Savor the moment. This will only happen once.

Maybe I should spread out the bounty and save this for tomorrow, but I just couldn't put off this UPDATE on my socks.

My last sock knitting class was Aug. 23rd, during which time I finished the first sock. Here is a picture of it.

Four days later I had the second sock finished as well. What do you think of the contrasting color on the heel and toe? I received a lot of compliments from my classmates on my color choices. I was pretty pleased.

Tendu

Releve

(Look who stopped by for a sneak peek.)

Knitting these socks was surprisingly easy to do. Amazing! No wonder so many knitters do it. Anyway, I've already stocked up on some sock yarn and am eager to learn some more complex patterns. In the meantime, I've started a second pair of socks with a lighter weight yarn and smaller needles. More to come on that.

Also, during this time I finished another cabled hat. Just in time for our Labor Day camping trip. Voila!

Aikido

2008-09-02T17:10:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd write about something Ceres does besides play video games. It's called Aikido, a Japanese martial art that focuses on redirecting the force of an attack to defend oneself while avoiding injury to yourself and the attacker. I think Ceres actually enjoys this hour away from his games (I'm as shocked as you). I keep wondering when the spell will break. But for now, I am enjoying these two hour (including drive time), twice a week, sitting through class, not doing housework, being a good mom, excursions to East Mesa.

Ceres' instructor, Darrell D'Antonli, explaining a technique...

...and performing it

Students learn to practice techniques with all kinds of partners, big and small. Here, the tallest and shortest students in class are grappling. Too funny.

For more information on Aikido, visit here.

Lost with the Wolves

2008-08-21T08:59:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered how a child perceives you?

Ceres and I were finishing up a project for school this morning. Basically, he had to choose an experience that has happened to him or may happen to him in the future and make a movie poster about it complete with synopsis and cast of characters. Ceres chose to make up a story about a trip to Alaska where he gets lost in the forest and has to fight to survive in wolf country. Part of his adventure involves a "mysterious old man" who may or may not be a friend to our young hero.

As we are putting the finishing touches on the poster, I notice Ceres has listed his cast of characters. Naturally, he has used names from real life (this is supposed to be his experience). He is the lost teenager, I am his mother, and Dave his father. And the mysterious old man?

Brett.

"Brett." I say. "As in your uncle, Brett?"
"Yep, that's the one." Ceres replies.

I burst out laughing. How Ceres came to that casting conclusion I'm not sure. And I didn't have time to ask because we were down to the wire - it was time to go. But I thought it was a pretty funny call and one that I'm sure Brett would get a kick out of.

So, Brett, how 'bout it? Are you up for a little acting gig? We already know you're an old man, but do you think you could channel your "mysterious" side?

Here it is, in writing.

P.S. I just noticed this. For all you El Charro fans: if you click on the poster picture you will notice under "Coming Soon" Ceres sneaked in a little joke. It says, "After Labor Day ? ? ?" Haha, funny kid.

Spring Waters

2008-08-15T21:12:00.001-07:00

Sometime last week I was watching this video on youtube and thought I would try to post it to my blog. And while youtube said everything was fine and it would post, nothing happened. I figured there was some technicality I was missing and dismissed the attempt. Now, several days later, it shows up. Go figure.

Anyway, I love this pas de deux. And I've never seen any dancers perform it better than these two. Their energy and joy come right through the video. Their dancing is at the same time bold and technically precise. I never tire of watching it. Hope you enjoy it too.

Sockology

2008-08-12T18:42:00.000-07:00

I'm knitting my first sock and I couldn't be more excited!

I'm taking a class over at the Fiber Factory. Lori is the instructor (I'll post a picture of her later) and already she has taught me some neat tricks. Like how to find the end of the yarn that resides inside the skein without pulling out all "the guts", as I like to call it. And how to work with 5 double-pointed needles without feeling or looking like Edward Scissorhands. And, I'm forming some Christmas gift ideas. Oops, I shouldn't have mentioned that.

My yarn is Cleckheaton Country in this gorgeous lavender color with brown specks.
The cuff.
Bitty can smell a photo op a mile away.

On Saturday, I'll learn how to do the heel turn. And wait until you see the color I chose for the heel. It's bold, but I'm loving it.

4th of July Camping

2008-08-06T23:45:00.000-07:00

After our traditional breakfast with the family at Coco's on July 4th, we decided to head up to Sunset Crater with the Jacobses for the weekend. And for any of you who have been camping with us in the past few years, you will be shocked to know that we didn't take the trailer this time. I know! What's that thing called? A tent? Coooool! But seriously, we love tent camping (old habits die hard), it's just easier to bake cookies in an oven than over a fire. Heehee.

Anyway, being that it was a holiday weekend and everybody was dying to get out of the valley and up to cooler country, all the campsites at Sunset Crater were full. Thomas and Candace got up there before we did and after driving around a bit they finally asked the Camp Hosts at the Bonita Campground where they could find a place to camp. Uh, nowhere...was pretty much the reply. Then Thomas asked if we could camp on the Host's site for the night and they said, "Sure". Well that was easy. T and C were a little perplexed because the hosts had just turned some other people away. Guess they didn't ask nice.

The hosts had hummingbird feeders in the trees and many hummingbirds were flying around. In the brief moments that we were allowed a glimpse of them up close, we could see their brilliant colors of green and fuschia. Beautiful! I never realized, though, how noisy they are! They were communicating all the time. Talkative little buggers. Maybe they just weren't happy with us camping under their tree because I got "buzzed" a few times. Feisty littler buggers, too.

Just a few things of note:

*We were invading other creatures' territories too.

*That night, we went to the amphitheater at the campgrounds and learned a little bit about black bears. So here's a quiz. Which is the grizzly and which is the black bear?

(Now wait a minute! Before you get all smug, black bears aren't necessarily black. Some are even white. So, are you sure about your answer?)

*The next morning, we were instructed to move to an available campsite. So we literally picked up camp and moved.

*In honor of Independence Day, Thomas made sure he brought an American flag (and a Swiss flag) to adorn the campsite. Actually, I don't know why he brought the flags. Maybe for the photo ops?

*In addition to Sunset Crater, we also explored Wupatki National Monument. You can see all the pictures here.

I know I am late in posting this, but I hope you all had a memorable 4th.

ELP

2008-07-22T23:07:00.000-07:00

The first day of the new school year is fast approaching and Ceres will be starting 7th grade. As all mothers tend to say, I can't believe my baby is all grown up. Where have the years gone? I think it's safe to say that Ceres had a great time in elementary school, and the highlight of those years was participation in the Extended Learning Program. ELP is a program for gifted students. I always thought "gifted" was a funny description for these students as I tend to think the word refers to mentally challenged children or someone with an exceptional talent for magic tricks. Actually, these kids are pretty smart, maybe even extraordinarily so. They are "intellectually and academically gifted students" who get the opportunity to delve deeper into and beyond their usual classroom subjects. What is truly amazing about this class is that while they are putting together science projects and writing reports, learning about mythology and astronomy, solving puzzles that my engineer sister couldn't even solve, learning Latin and Chinese characters, memorizing squares and cubes, etc., etc., etc., they are having fun. FUN, FUN, FUN! They love this class! They can't get enough of it! Maybe, just maybe (it's possible), it has something to do with their teacher, Ms. Knappenberger, the Most Supreme Goddess of All She Surveys (I bow to you). What an awesome teacher she is - fun, active and creative. The kids adore her. And her rain dances are a big hit, too (although I heard she was holding out this year).

At the end of this last school year, in correlation with the Olympics and this year's Greek mythology theme, Ms. Knappenberger held her Wacky Olympics. The kids had a great time in all the events. In one of them, teams of two had to act as mother and baby. The "mother" had to put a diaper on the "baby", lift it into her lap and feed it a bottle while rocking and singing to it. The "baby" wasn't allowed to help with the task except to drink the bottle. The team who finished the bottle first, won the gold. Well, I thought I'd honor Ms. Knappenberger with a little clip of her showing her students how to put the diaper on the baby. And while she warned that any videos of this kind better not show up on youtube, she didn't mention anything about blogs.

So here's to the greatest teacher a "gifted" student could ever have! Cheers!

What A Night!

2008-07-11T17:05:00.000-07:00

Even as I start this entry, it has started pouring rain again - so there may be another chapter to this story, but I hope not.

After days of the monsoon teasing us with hopes of rain we have finally got our first big storm of the season. And it brought gifts. As Ceres and I were driving back home from his Aikido class in East Mesa, we noticed that the rain that had been hanging out in the Apache Junction area had pretty much died out. I had given up on any hope of rain tonight. But, by the time we got home we noticed that is was raining in the east again and that perhaps the storm was following us home. Yes!

Sure enough, the wind picked up with a fury and the rain started falling moments later. Naturally, I had to run outside and stand in the rain for a minute. I only lasted about 20 seconds though, because the rain was cold (I know, pathetic) and I was already soaked. So I went inside and we were having dinner when we heard a large truck pull up in front of our house and saw a bright light shining into our living room. There was a fire truck parked outside and a fireman was already at our door. He notified us that a branch on a tree in the backyard had fallen on the power lines and it had caught on fire and the people behind us had called 9-1-1 but the rain had put out the fire. The line was still arcing though and causing the branch to drop burning embers in the neighbors yard and if the power line broke...well then we were in for some fun. They had put a call in to the utility company but weren't sure when they'd be able to come out and take care of it because everybody was having problems at the moment. This was all condensed into about 10 seconds, and then he and his crew and the truck were gone. (This is where KaraLyn, who had just driven by, called to check up on us. Thanks K.)

We were a little stunned, but not totally surprised; again, this is an old house with stories - like the time several years back when the very old and very corroded electrical line that we thought didn't work anymore, and that ran along our fence to our shed, was very much alive. And, during a storm similar to this one, our next door neighbors noticed the cord was sparking when the rain hit it. It was quite pretty, really; like a miniature fireworks display in our backyard. The only thing we could do was cut the power and wait until morning to take care of it. The incident ended peacefully - we sent that cord packing, to the dump.

Well, we figured that this little tree branch incident wasn't really a danger to us because 1) our yard is very deep and the tree and power lines are pretty far from the house and 2) those power lines don't connect to our house (they supply power to the houses on Ashland) and 3) even if the tree did catch on fire, see number 1 above. Dave didn't want to take any chances, though, so he had Ceres go around and unplug the computers and TV - you know, the important things. I went to look out our back window to see if I could see anything. I was hoping to see sparks or a glow of light, but there was nothing. A few minutes later we could see that a utility vehicle had shown up and flashlights were being aimed at the treetops. Then the lights in our house flickered and we heard a loud pop. At that point we just had to find out what was going on. So we got in the car and drove around to Ashland. But there was nothing to see. No utility truck, no fire. Nothing but kids running around in their front yard. So we pulled over to ask if they knew anything and before I could ask they had run over to us and were telling us about a tree on fire in their yard. Bingo!

Turns out it wasn't our tree but our next door neighbor's that had lost its branch, which had finally fallen off the power line into the yard behind them, thus producing the flicker and loud pop we experienced earlier. The utility people had been there, but as soon as the branch had fallen to the ground they took off, leaving the homeowner to deal with the still smoldering wood. And she, poor thing, who had just moved into the house (Will Mason's rental) a few days ago, was pretty freaked out. Welcome, Leah, to the neighborhood.

Once we got the story and knew that Leah and her kids were okay we went to get in our car (I was shivering at this point, yes shivering - that rain was downright cold!) and that's when we heard more sirens in the area of our own house and a sound like something banging against an empty dumpster, only magnified, and then boom...boom...boom three flashes of blue light traveling south to north, again in the general area of our house. Transformers were blowing up! So we hopped in the car and drove home. Along the way, we noticed that the east side of Horne was dark and the fire truck was now parked on 4th Pl., the street that runs perpendicular to our house. So we drove around to, what is it, Frasier I think, and asked some people what was going on. They weren't sure, but 4th Pl. was blocked off and we figured out that a power line was lying in the street and that the firemen who had been to our door earlier were now standing guard over it until the utility people could get there. And so the cycle of firemen and utility workers would continue into the night.

But it was time for us to go home. The worst of the storm was over, yet the TV and computer stayed off (the TV is especially precious to someone). Dave was starting to make a remark about how rarely we don't have an electronic appliance or device turned on when he noticed that Ceres already had his PSP in hand. Oh well. True to form, Dave fell asleep, Ceres continued with his game and I - well I sat down to write this blog (yikes! gotta go knit something quick!), until I lost my internet connection sometime around the fifth transformer explosion.

(This post was finished the next day (today) under much calmer conditions.)

I Wish I Had More Time For This...

2008-07-08T00:22:00.000-07:00

I love to knit (see blog title) and crochet. I started about four years ago when I was looking for a gift to give my niece and saw a knitting kit on uncommongoods.com. I thought it was such a cute idea that I bought one for her and one for myself. I was addicted from the moment I learned how to do my first stitch. Unfortunately, I don't have much time to do it and therefore, don't have much to show for it either. In fact, I am using up my knitting time tonight to write this blog. And the longer I sit here, the grumpier I get - I'd rather be knitting than writing about it (I gotta get my fix!). Most everything I've made I've given away, and given it away before I could document (take a picture of) its existence. There is another percentage of projects that just aren't finished, like the sweater I was making for my sister for last Christmas. It's July now and I haven't touched it since two weeks before Christmas when I realized I needed sleep more than my sister needed the sweater. Maybe I'll get around to finishing it by this Christmas.

In the meantime, here are some of the things I've made recently:

Cabled hats for my boys to keep their noggins warm when we go camping.

(Naturally, Bitty had to get involved)

Basket weave afghan. I made this afghan in yellow with a raspberry border for my sister. I was so jealous that she had one and I didn't that I made one for myself. So soft....

Desert Cruisin'

2008-06-27T21:11:00.000-07:00

Background Story:
A little while back, Dave walked into the house and said, "Come on, let's go for a ride." Confused, but still following him out the door, I asked him why we needed to go for a ride. When I stepped outside, there was our friend Kenyon in his new Jeep Wrangler. I laughed - my first thought was, "mid-life crisis!" - because the Jeep has just replaced a mild-mannered Sebring (and no, the Sebring wasn't a convertible, in case all you "Office" fans are wondering). But I hop in the back and we go for a ride. It's just around the block a bit, but the soft top is down, and my wavy hair is soon straight and ratty. It's too loud to maintain a decent conversation, I'd be swallowing hair if I tried, but we find out that wifey, Darlene, really wanted the Jeep, too. Not really a surprise there - well maybe a little bit - but now I'm wondering who's mid-life crisis this really is. (Love you guys.) Which leads me to confess that I've always wanted a Jeep, too. Or maybe an FJ Cruiser...

Anyway, K & D decide to start an off-road group, Desert Hermits, and invite us to join. We have a truck, but it's only 2-wheel drive. In the mean-time, though, my sis and her fiance have just purchased a pre-owned Land Cruiser (for camping, off-roading, and dropping off the recycling) and I ask them to join the group and let us tag along in their vehicle. They agree, and we're set to start some dusty adventures.

The Story:
So Desert Hermits planned a trip for last weekend. We were going to go up on Saturday morning and join them but didn't make it. Good thing. There was something about too many bugs and everybody coming home early. But the day was not over yet and there are still many trails to trek. So, Candace and Thomas, Dave, Ceres and I gather ourselves into the Land Cruiser and set out on its maiden voyage with its new owners. Let's see what this baby can do. I think Thomas was a little nervous, and he had every right to be.

Toyota Land Cruiser

He decides to travel the Great Western Trail north of Cave Creek. We pass the Seven Springs Campground and things are going well. After travelling another half hour or so, we are trying to decide where to stop and have dinner when the Cruiser decides for us. Thomas says, in his was of making a statement sound like a question (is that a German thing, ja?), "Uh-oh, we have a problem (?)" and lets go of the steering wheel. It turns sharply to the right.

We have a flat tire.

Hmmm...we are in the middle of nowhere, have passed only one other vehicle since Cave Creek, and don't know a whole lot about this new vehicle. Is the spare any good? Do we have a jack?? Why is the radiator boiling over??? Now, it may sound like we were panicked, but we weren't really. We had cell phone service out there and knew who we could call for assistance (Big D). Besides, Candace really needed to pee. That was priority #1.

Turns out it was a great place to stop (thanks Cruiser). It was flat and shaded by a hill - although the hill blocked our view of the sunset - and we were surprised to find out that it was relatively cool there. Very pleasant. So while the boys wrestled with the tire, Candace found a spot to do her biz'ness and then we set up for dinner. We ended up having a great night! The spare was in good shape and Thomas was prepared and brought a compressor with him so he could put air in the tire. We ate haystacks (not the straw variety) for dinner. We chased wasps away with insect repellent, marvelled at funnel-shaped spider webs, discovered a headstone, gazed at the stars and satellites in the sky, laughed at and ran away from a large beetle as it chased the light from our flashlights on the ground and slurped at melted ice cream sandwiches. And, to top it off, a large orange moon accompanied us home.

Check out the pictures here.

A Discovery

2008-06-18T14:28:00.000-07:00

After 12 years of living in my house, I have made a discovery: A seven-letter word beginning with "A" is carved into my bedroom closet door! It's been painted over and it's only noticeable at a certain time of day and from a specific place in the room, but it's there. And now I feel like I live in a dorm room. It probably wouldn't have ever been discovered if we hadn't uncovered the window that had been drywalled over in our bedroom. We love our new window! But it brought to "light" another historical quirk of this old house.

Can you see it? I hope not!

The Starting Point...

2008-06-18T14:03:00.000-07:00

I have an old HP Notebook that weighs 28 pounds and is about 6 inches thick that had served as nothing more, really, than a glorified DVD player. And now, even at that, it is way outdated. So, for the past year or so, it was down-graded to a table for my knitting books and projects to sit on. I pulled it out a couple of weeks ago, re-formatted the hard drive, re-installed Windows and am looking forward to using it - now that we have high-speed internet and a wireless modem - as my anywhere-in-the-house-as-I-need-it pc (because Ceres is always on the Mac). Now, it is my glorified online journal-keeper.

And what better way to document my life than by starting an online blog? Hope you likey.

(made on an HP notebook.)