How'd I do?

I do not make New Year's resolutions, but last year I made a "this year I would like to" list. I thought it might be fun and helpful to see how I did.

In 2008, I said I wanted to:

• Learn to knit. And I did! And I have had so much fun both knitting and making knitting friends. I just wonder why I waited so long.
  
• Speak more positively about living here, and to find things to like rather than focus on the many things I don't like. I probably don't speak any more positively about living here but neither do I speak any more negatively - I am Switzerland. But since we have come to the realization that this is not the place we want to live long-term and that our residence here is temporary (even if "temporary" means years), it has become easier to accept. But I still want out of Georgia!
  
• Be more patient with my mother and brother. I love them both dearly but they both try my patience, for different reasons. I made progress, but I can do better.
  
• Make bagels. There is not a decent bagel to be found out here in greater metropolitan Hooterville and I get tired of driving into Atlanta to get one. For some stupid reason that eludes me, I did not even attempt making bagels - perhaps a "to do" again for 2009!
  
• Grow three inches, since I don't think I am actually going to lose fifteen pounds! Okay, so maybe that isn't a serious one...but it was! And I did lose fifteen pounds and so far, I have kept it off. Yay for me!
  
• Be more active. I hate exercise with every fiber of my being but I understand that I need to get moving to be healthier. I totally missed the mark on this one - I am still as active as a lazy slug.
  
• Write more. This blog is a small start, but I need to be disciplined about putting my thoughts into words, if only for my enjoyment. While I have not expanded beyond the blog, I have kept up with it and really enjoyed having an outlet for my thoughts and phrases.
  

All in all, not too bad although there is certainly room for improvement. Stay tuned for the 2009 "to do" list.

An excellent Christmas gift

Despite a less than pleasant holiday overall (see Too), I received some very nice gifts for Christmas. James and Aidan gave me a cute handbag (always appreciated), knitting needles and some luscious yarn. Lovely! But one of the nicest gifts I received was the gift of time, to visit with a friend.

Since joining Ravelry, I have met some incredibly nice people all over the United States and around the world. One of my favorites is a woman named Kelli, who lives in South Carolina. We have communicated via Ravelry discussion boards,via email and now even via Facebook. When I told her that we would be in South Carolina (just south of Charlotte, NC) for Christmas, she suggested that we get together for coffee. She was willing to drive up from Columbia, about an hour away, so we could meet in Rock Hill. I am sure that my in-laws thought it odd that I was getting together with someone I had never met, but that really wasn't the case at all: we had met, just not face to face.

So at 10 am on Christmas Eve, Kelli and I finally met in person for coffee and for the next two hours, the conversation never lagged. We talked about ourselves, our families, our knitting, politics and just about anything and everything else. Kelli is just as funny, friendly, caring and interesting as she comes across via electronic media. The time flew by and before I knew it, I was late for lunch back at my in-laws' house.

Visiting with Kelli was the highlight of my Christmas and I cherish the time that James and Aidan gave me to spend with her. Is there a better gift than time spent with a friend? I think not.

Too

We are back at our house after spending a few days at my in-laws' house in South Carolina. The experience is best summed up with the word "too" - too much noise, too many snacks, too few healthy choices, too much whining, too much quarreling, too many presents given with too little thought, too little discipline and, for my part, too little alcohol to ease the pain and dull the senses.

Sometimes the best that can be said of a holiday is that it is over.

Hockey bum[med]

Tonight we were going with Aidan’s Cub Scout pack to an Atlanta Thrashers’ hockey game. Thank goodness we never told Aidan that he was going to be part of the color guard before the game because…

He has strep. He told me yesterday at lunch that his throat hurt when he swallowed, but he still ate a big lunch. Around 4 pm, he said he was cold…and it was about 70 degrees at the time, so I took his temp and it was 101. He hasn’t run a fever like that since he was a year old and had his one and only ear infection. So I put him to bed. He slept all night with only a few wake-ups, for water, bathroom, reassurance.

This morning, the fever was gone but his throat still hurt. We checked his glands and they were a bit swollen so we decided to take him in. Glad we did. The culture showed that he has strep, the doc prescribed antibiotics and warned us that he would be contagious for another 36 hours, so he could not be around other people.

Our poor little guy started to cry when he realized that he couldn’t go to the hockey game tonight. His lip quivered, his eyes filled and he said “Mommy, I’ve never been to a hockey game.” Even the doc got a little verklempt.

Porta-potty float photos

Our friend Dave sent me the photos of the porta-potty float from the Christmas parade in Senoia.

Here it is coming:


And here it is going:

"Santa looks...different"

Aidan and I were looking at my old school photos the other day when we found this photo of me with Santa.

The cardboard frame indicates that the photo was taken at Halle's Department Store. A note in my mother's handwriting indicates that I was three years old when the photo was made, which would make the year 19mumble-mumble.

Aidan absolutely adores the photo - he giggled and giggled as he looked at it. After studying it for a few moments, he said "Mommy, you look really different!" I pointed out that I was even younger than he is now when the photo was made. Then he said, "And Santa looks different!" When I asked different how, he said that Santa just looks different.

Well, he does look different than Santas do now; how, exactly, I can't pinpoint. But Aidan is right, the Santa in the photo looks a bit different. I frantically thought for a few quick seconds and said "Well, it was a long time ago...and just like I look different than I do now because I am older, Santa looks different because he is older, too!"

He bought that explanation, thank goodness. It is getting harder and harder to stay one step ahead of that boy!

'Tis the season...

...for fun activities! Saturday was a busy day at our house. First, we went over to Aidan's school for Deck the Halls, the annual holiday event that raises money for the school and celebrates the season. Santa was available for photos (Aidan emphatically put the kibosh that idea), there was Santa's shop where children could shop for small gifts, a silent auction was held of the gift baskets and/or decorations created by each class, and the children performed songs in the cafeteria. The first graders sang at 10 am and although Aidan was initially not too thrilled, he finally got into the spirit and sang enthusiastically with his classmates:


That afternoon we headed back to Senaoia, the scene of last week's Porta-Potty Parade. One team of the Anheuser-Busch Clydesdales were in town! Simply put, they are magnificent animals. Here is a photo of the first two horses in place:


Aidan got some help from Dad in seeing over the crowd:


While waiting for the entire team of eight to be hitched up and start parading, we talked with a nice family next to us who brought their three dogs. Aidan quickly became friends with Bruno, a seven year old black Lab/Boxer mix:


Finally, the team started their tour of downtown Senoia:


I was in awe at the size of their horse heinies:

Holiday knitting

I (almost) finished three holiday knitting projects this week. Aidan asked me early last week to please make fuzzy scarves for his teacher and the parapro. I panicked just a bit but how could I say no? He did, after all, say "please"... besides, they are a simple knit stitch on size 11 needles, so I thought I had time to finish before the last day of school on 18 December.

I got the yarn the next day and set to work. Mrs. D'Andrea's scarf knit it very quickly, in less than four days:


Then I started Mrs. Malcolm's scarf. I was already a bit tired of fun fur by then and the simplicity, but I kept at it and finished last night:


Today I also worked on assembling the felted bird house that will be a Christmas gift for my mother. I still have not added the perch - James will help me - so that is why I said that I am "almost" finished. The bird house turned out cute enough, but I am not especially happy with it overall:


I like that I can make gifts for people and I finished in plenty of time!

Popularity, at last

It seems that at the ripe old age of 39.95 plus shipping and handling, I have achieved what was never possible before: popularity at school. I had lunch with Aidan today at school and a seat near me was the hottest ticket in Mrs. Malcolm's class.

After much pushing, wiggling and jockeying for position, I was seated between Aidan and Henry, with Joshua, Andrew and Gabrielle across the table; Jada was on the other side of Aidan, and kept leaning across him to talk to me. The children know me since I work in his class each week and they were eager to talk to me. All at once.

I don't think that I am particularly good with children (and sometimes not even with my own child); I am not indulgent, I don't look away from misbehavior, I correct their grammar and their manners. But I guess when you are the only non-faculty adult at the class table, popularity is a given.

Eating lunch with a cafeteria full of first graders is a unique experience. The sound level must be on par with that on an aircraft carrier when a fighter jet lands...the ears ring and the brain becomes numb. And when five or six of those little voices are raised, trying vainly to get your undivided attention, I swear the table vibrates.

For all my grousing and joking, it was fun to have lunch with Aidan and his friends. And they were all so sweet to make me feel welcome, even though almost every one of them showed me the food in their mouth at some point during the meal!

Things that go "Mommy!" in the night

My recent streak of about ten straight nights of great sleep was broken early this morning. Around 2:30 am, I awoke to hear "Mommy! Daddy! Mommy! Daddy!" coming from Aidan's room. James, of course, Mr. Light Sleeper who "hears everything at night" did not stir. I managed to find the edge of bed, get up and make my way to Aidan's room without colliding with any walls, door jambs or furniture, which is a minor miracle - after all, I collide with those things even when it is not 2:30 am or have just been awakened from a deep sleep.

Aidan was sitting up in bed and when I asked what was wrong, he said "I need help in thinking of some good dreams." It seems that he was having bad dreams and when I asked what the bad dreams were about, he said the Man Game.

Ah, yes, the Man Game. The subject of one of the few parenting disagreements that James and I have. The Man Game is our family's name for World of Warcraft, which is a multi-player online role-playing game. We call it the Man Game because a character - usually a man - is created and then played in the fantasy Warcraft world. James has been playing the game for several years and Aidan decided he wanted to play, too. I think he is far too young to play such a game, but I was overruled; James helped Aidan set up his man and taught him the basics of play.

Playing the Man Game is a reward for Aidan. If he does what he is supposed to do at home and at school, he is allowed to play for a set amount of time every other day. He has done surprisingly well at the game, but I have strong concerns about a game where the character battles other characters, usually very scary characters such as ogres (not the Shrek variety), zombies and skeletons.

And last night, some of my concerns were validated by Aidan's bad dreams. After he told me about the dreams, I suggested that he dream about Christmas, going to see the Clydesdales on Saturday, playing outside, then rubbed his back and made his lie down. He fell asleep pretty quickly and I heard nothing more from him the rest of the night.

While I do not plan any immediate action, I will file it away and see if further bad dreams ensue. And, next time, I am elbowing James to get up and see to his son's middle of the night anxiety.

Chickens and porta-pottys

Small towns can be unique little places, with unusual people, happenings and things. Saturday evening's Christmas parade in Senoia was a good example.

We like Senoia, a town even smaller than the town in which we live; its little downtown reminds us of downtown Apex, NC. They are doing their best to revitalize their downtown by filling the vacant storefronts with restaurants, shops and service providers. We go there regularly to buy coffee from the Senoia Coffee Co. - we can't start our day without a cup (or two) of their Mocha Java!

Saturday was Light Up Senoia, where they closed downtown to car traffic. There were food vendors, a special store for children to buy gifts, and all the shops were decorated for the season. The parade started around 5:30, led off by police cruisers and a fire truck. What followed was, for the most part, typical small-town parade fare: baton twirlers, Shriners, old cars, a marching band, Cub Scouts and Brownies riding on flat bed “floats”. Strangely enough, no pageant queens.

When the local 4-H Poultry Club went by with cages full of chickens on their float, I thought I had seen it all…until a porta-potty went by! Yes, some company/group decorated a porta-potty with lights and put it on their float! I laughed until I stopped, then I started laughing again. Our friend Dave took a photo and if he sends it to me as he promised, I will post it here as proof. What a hoot!

Free jeans

I like a bargain as much as the next person, but honestly, I don't want to work too hard for one. I don't shop thrift stores, flea markets or yard sales, and I hate plowing through piles of clothes to find one gem. But when stores are having sales on everything and web sites are offering free shipping, it is hard NOT to score a bargain.

Several months ago, I went shopping for new jeans that fit my 15 pound less body and found two pair suited for low heel shoes. I love wearing heels and wanted a pair of jeans that I could wear with my high heeled mules or these great patent boots that I have. Kohl's is having one of their two day sales that they have every week, so I headed over there early today to find some tall jeans.

I am not particularly fond of Kohl's for me; I am able to find good clothes at good prices for Aidan there, but not for me. Their basic jean selection, however, is pretty good. With the sale, the additional 15% coupon and the $20 in Kohl's Cash that James received last week after he did some shopping, I thought it was worth a trip. No lie, I tried on at least 12 pairs of jeans (plus several shirts and sweaters, and several pair of dress pants) and did find one pair that seem to fit well and work well with my tall shoes (which I had the good sense to wear).

When I got to the cashier and presented all my various papers, I owed a grand total of nothing. Nada. Zero. It was an hour of my time well spent to walk out the door with a pair of free jeans!

Whoosh

Whoosh is the sound of December to me...not carols, not bell ringing, not the ka-ching of the cash registers. Whoosh. Once the calendar turns to 1 December, time accelerates until 24 December, when everything slows down to half its normal speed.

For some stupid reason, December crept up on me this year. I know December arrives at the same time each year, but with the U.S. Thanksgiving falling at the end of November, the time between the two holidays is shorter than usual. So that extra week I thought I had to take care of tasks simply does not exist. Whoosh!

Don't get me wrong, I am not panicking about the holidays. As I wrote last year, I simply don't stress about the holidays - that is wrong to me. But I do know that I have a schedule of card writing, knitting, baking and wrapping that must be adhered to, which simply cuts into my free time. No big whoop.

For example, this morning after I work in Aidan's class, I have a list of about four errands I need to complete rather than coming back to the house for my usual Wedneday morning late breakfast and extra cup of coffee. And if I get them done today, I won't have to go out tomorrow - bonus!

So it all comes down to good time management. And whooshing!

Cooking with Grandma

We arrived back at our house yesterday, after a five day visit with my mother. Spenser let us know his extreme displeasure at being left alone by meowing loudly and frequently at us.

We had a good visit with Mom and Aidan in particular enjoyed spending time with her. They made a cake together for Thanksgiving dinner:


Aidan decorated the iced cake the next day with pecans, even though he doesn't eat them. He was quite proud of the finished product, as well he should:

Our native person

Here is a photo of Aidan at his school's Thanksgiving feast:

Over the river

Over the river and through the woods, to grandmother's house we go. Yes, we will drive up to my mother's house tomorrow for the Thanksgiving holiday. Too bad that a) I don't feel well and b) I can't muster up any enthusiasm.

I am really missing those great Thanksgivings back in North Carolina. Several of my girlfriends and I started having Thanksgiving together when we were all single and as we married/were in relationships, we continued it. We invited anyone we knew who didn’t have family in the area or had no place to go, and it was one big daylong party. My friend Valerie, who had a big house, always hosted and fixed the bird, and we all brought various things to eat and drink. Even people who had family in the area made sure they could stop by during the day! Food, football, friends...it was great.

It doesn't help that I have a nasty head cold. Aidan has the whole week off from school (WTF? In my day, we had two days off for Thanksgiving and were grateful for that), so I am trying to get everything organized for our trip while sneezing and hacking, and keeping tabs on an energetic child. Yip-pee.

It's the cold talking, but I would like nothing more to crawl into bed, pull up the covers and come out sometime on Saturday.

Busy week

Well, okay, busy couple of days. Aidan’s school was a hotbed of activity this week with Thanksgiving plays, “feasts”, a book fair, etc. I volunteered to help sell "spirit wear", which is t-shirts, book bags and assorted small items with the school name and logo on them.

Tuesday morning I was at the grocery by 8:15 am to get the weekly shopping done and groceries put away before heading over to the school. I checked in with the spirit wear guru and helped set up before going to see Aidan's class play. It was an odd little Thanksgiving skit with Pilgrims, native Americans (although they still say "Indians" out here in Hooter County), turkeys and corn and, ironically enough, Aidan as the Puritan minister. Yes, you read that correctly. My child - a Puritan minister.

After the play and two rousing Thanksgiving songs, we went to the cafeteria for the feast. Aidan was thrilled to have both James and me in attendance. The tables were decorated in Thanksgiving/autumn themes, with place mats made by each student. The food wasn't great but we had a fun time. After the feast, James headed back to work and I headed off to sell t-shirts until the end of the school day. Aidan was excited that he didn't ride the bus home but was riding with me.

On Wednesday, I was at school by 8:10 am for my usual Wednesday morning volunteer work with Aidan's class. After that, I helped out with the book fair, checked in parents for the feast, sold t-shirts, escorted Aidan and three other students to shop at the book fair, sold more t-shirts, then helped pack up the t-shirts. When Aidan and I left school at 2:15, I was exhausted!

This week's activities at Aidan's school would never have happened without the army of volunteers - mainly moms - that were enlisted in the effort. I was glad to play a small role and even though it was tiring, I had a good time.

Talkin' smack

Ohio State is supposed to play Michigan on Saturday, but there is a good chance that the game may be canceled or postponed. The Michigan football team is not sure they can get to Columbus - they don't know how to get past Toledo.

Snark, snark!

A tisket, a tasket

Another felted basket! After seeing how nicely my first knitted and felted basket turned out, James asked me if I would make another one as part of his parents' Christmas present. Of course I said yes! James chose the color - Persimmon Heather - and I finished it last week.




It felted very differently from the other two items I have made so far out of this yarn…I suspect that whatever makes it a heather color was the culprit.

We will put some food goodies in it along with a photo ornament of Aidan, and it will be ready for gifting at Christmas.

Buckeyes, Buckeyes everywhere

This morning we had three errands to run: get Aidan's hair cut, pick up ingredients to make dessert for company tomorrow (my friend Stephanie is in town and ocming over for dinner - yay!) and take a load of outgrown clothes to Goodwill. The Great Clips is in the same shopping center as a Kroger, so we decided to maximize our time and minimize the driving by getting our groceries at Kroger rather than our favorite Publix. While in Kroger, I saw a family of four all wearing Ohio State shirts. I, of course, was wearing my game day Ohio State t-shirt, and I immediately said "Go Buckeyes!" They spotted my shirt and a Buckeye lovefest ensued...turns out that the husband is from the Youngstown area and the wife is from the east side of Cleveland.

After a rousing O-H, I-O, we went our separate ways. But how fun to find other Buckeye fans in the midst of Georgia Bulldog land!

67 days

Yes, I am counting down the days until That Man leaves the White House for good. Petty of me? Perhaps, but why shouldn't I be happy that one of the worst presidents in the history of the United States is going to leave office?

Only 67 more days!

Warm tookus

Our resident senior citizen, Spenser, does not agree with the thermostat setting in the house now that it is getting colder. Anytime the heat cycles on, he can be found sitting or lying right in front of one of the vents, basking in the warm air.

Facebook

I caved. I really had no intent, no interest in ever joining something like Facebook. But after several friends gently suggested it and one even vaguely hinted that I might not ever hear from her again unless I joined, I caved in. So now I am on Facebook, like half of the free world. Whoopee.

Sure, it was cool that within five minutes of joining, I had connected with a classmate from high school (well, elementary through high school) that now lives in New Zealand. And I quickly found some people from college days but I have not slogged through all the Emory alums to find those from grad school. I found two of my Ravelry friends so now we can crack each other up on two different networking sites. I even linked up with my nephew, who wonders what took me so long.

I understand that it's a convenient way to connect and communicate. But what I don't get is the what-do-you-call-it "status" updates...such as "Bruno is shopping for new shirts today" or "Belle is hiding in the closet." Sorry, folks, no one needs to know what mundane task I am doing RIGHT THIS MINUTE or what totally random thought just popped into my head. After all, isn't that what this blog is for?

So now I am on Facebook and I do enjoy writing quick quips on people's wall. We'll see how much farher I progress with it. But now will you all kindly get off my back about joining this century?

What she said...

Or he said.

Since Tuesday, it has been great to read what other people have to say about the election. And, as it so often happens, I am in awe of how well other people say what they have to say. Here are some of my favorites from this week:

'We' are finally part of `We the People' by Leonard Pitts. Oh, how I adore the writings of Leonard Pitts. He is the main person to whom I point when I say "what he said!" because he states so eloquently and purposefully what I am often thinking/feeling.

Getting to the Mountaintop by my friend Geri, who lives in Toronto. It has been fascinating to me how many people around the world watched this election and cheered when Obama was elected. The world's opinion of the people of the USA went up quite a few notches this week!

The link to Grant Park, November 4, 2008 was sent to me by my friend Jane, and I have no idea who put it together, so I hope they are okay with me posting it here. The photos are poignant and I enjoyed reading what daughter Nadia, a first-time voter, had to say.

My friend Jennifer, who works for The Washington Post, introduced me to the newspaper's PostPartisan page, which includes short columns by their opinion writers. I enjoyed The Empress' Clothes by Kathleen Parker, even after Jennifer informed me that Ms. Parker is one of their more conservative voices!

And, of course, there is humor in just about every situation. I had to laugh (despite the blog post title) when I read Jesse Jackson Crying by Peter Sagal. Certainly the end of the Bush Administration will be tough on those who make their living from political humor but I am sure they will soldier through...there is, after all, as Peter points out, Joe Biden. It will be only a matter of days before he utters some tactless gaffe!

(psst) Only 73 more days until That Man leaves the White House!

The day after

Today is the day after we, the people of the United States of America, made history by electing Barack Obama. I am not unique when I say that I never thought that I would see that happen in my lifetime, and I am elated that it did.

I had decided that I would stay up until I knew the outcome of the election and was pleasantly surprised when it was decided as early as it was. Just moments after 11 pm, suave, smart and devastatingly good-looking Anderson Cooper looked at me from CNN and said "MaryAnne, Barack Obama is our new president." Okay, so it didn't exactly happen like that...I think it was Wolf Blitzer who actually announced it and no one on television called me by name, but I prefer to remember it my own way.

I consider myself to be quite politically realistic and not at all naive about what elected officials can and can't do, so I was totally unprepared for my reaction: I cried. And for once in an election, they were tears of JOY.

Why anyone would want to be president is beyond me, but I am glad that there are people out there who do want the job. And I am pleased that this time, we chose a smart, educated, seemingly kind, savvy and worldly person who not only can pick the Constitution out of a line-up, but has read it and understands it. President-Elect Obama has a tough road ahead of him and I know that he can't wave his arms and things will magically get better, but I think he is well-equipped to lead this country into a better future.

And I am relieved that I will no longer be embarrassed by the person who occupies the White House, as I have been for the past eight years. Only 76 days until Inauguration Day!

Not completely out of the woods

Yesterday was supposed to be L-Day at James' workplace, as in layoff day. The chosen ones were going to be told at 9 am, but 9 am came and went with no news, no action, no anything. Finally at 4 pm, the CEO held a company meeting and announced that he would not layoff anyone for at least two more months, but that everyone will take another pay cut. So, good news: James still has a job. Not so good news: less money for our already stretched budget.

It is hard to know how to feel in a situation like this one. All over the country, people are losing jobs or taking pay cuts, pay cuts much larger than what James is taking. On one hand, we are grateful that he has a job and is still bringing home a paycheck and benefits, but on the other hand, we are a bit resentful that he is not being rewarded for his hard work, talent and documented value to the company.

Times are tough all over. And when we want to feel sorry for ourselves, we
absolutely have to remember that we are far better off than many people, that we can still pay our modest mortgage, still eat three square a day and still meet our obligations. There is no wiggle room for luxuries or travel or emergencies, but we will weather this economic mess.

And it's Election Day, which means just 77 more days until That Man leaves the White House for good! Yippee!

Hugs in the mail

Last week I gave the United States Postal Service some deliveries. I finished one of my "practice" scarves, this one for my Uncle Vernon and sent it off along with the scarf that I finished some time ago for his daughter, my cousin Jill. I made Vernon's scarf out of a lovely alpaca/silk blend in a yummy cinnamon color. I think it is manly without being boring:


It felt good to send my creations off to the recipients in time for cold weather. Jill sent a thank you email message to me today, saying that both scarves are beautiful. Yippee!

I also sent the three Special Olympics scarves I made off to Boise, Idaho. Although I did not like the yarn (and it was the reason I did make more than three), it was still an honor and a thrill to make something that a Special Olympics athlete will wear in February. I will check to see if the opening ceremonies will be televised, because I want to see that sea of blue and white, and know that three of those scarves are mine!

Sir Aidan

I admit that I am not a good costume maker. I see the elaborate and imaginative costumes that some parents (okay, mothers) create and I feel just a twinge of inadequacy. So far in Aidan's life, I have relied on packaged costumes.

So when Grandma sent him plastic armor from a dollar store back in September and Aidan said that he wanted to wear it for Halloween, I was relieved. The biggest challenge was to keep it from being broken before the end of October! But somehow we managed to keep it together and Aidan donned his suit of armor for trick or treating last night (honestly, I think he looked a little goofy, but he was happy).

He has suddenly developed an aversion to having his photo made, so those were the only two I could get of him in his costume:



He did, however, pose with the pumpkin:


We had a good time taking him around the neighborhood (although NO ONE in our cul-de-sac participates) and since it was a Friday night, we weren’t so concerned about him getting to bed on time. And what a haul of goodies he received!

I like Halloween

More prose from my budding writer:

I like fall

Pumpkin carving

Aidan and I decorated our Halloween pumpkin yesterday. It was a gorgeous day out on the deck.

I cut open the pumpkin but Aidan was in charge of scraping out the guts:



Silly boy pretended to eat the guts:



After I cut out the eyes and mouth to Aidan's specifications, he further decorated the pumpkin using a marker:





Tada! Here is the finished pumpkin - that is Aidan on the right!

Defense

When watching football, I like nothing better than a battle of the defenses. I like a low scoring game and it annoys me when scores are high; it just tells me that the defenses are not doing their jobs. So last night's match up between my beloved Ohio State Buckeyes and the Penn State Nittany Lions was my kind of game. At half time, the score was just 3-3. Both teams were playing very well, especially the defenses.

Even into the third quarter, the teams remained very close on all stats and Ohio State went up by only one field goal. Then the whole momentum of the game shifted, however, when Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor fumbled on a 3rd and one play and Penn State recovered. They went on to score a touchdown, then later kicked another field goal for the final score of 13-6.

With Penn State ranked #3 in the nation and fielding one of the strongest teams they have had in a long time, I was very nervous about the game. And while the outcome was not what I wanted, it was better than I feared...and it was just all in all, a really good game to watch.

Honestly, I like Penn State and will cheer for them any time EXCEPT when they play Ohio State. With Ohio State out of the National Championship picture (but hopefully still in play for a good bowl berth), I will be rooting for the Nittany Lions all the way.

Boo!

Er, Booga, that is...I was so inspired by my first felting project that I immediately set to work on another one, a handbag for me.










How cute is it? The pattern name is the Booga Bag and it is a small bag, only 8" high X 7.5" wide X 4.5" deep. It will never be my daily "go to" bag but it will, however, be perfect for when I don't want to carry much and I want to show off my knitting prowess.

Read my lipstick

My first felted item

For the Motherhood Later swap, I decided to go a completely different route and try a new technique: felting. Felting is intentionally shrinking a knitted item so that the knit stitches disappear and a strong fabric emerges. Decorative pieces, slippers and purses of all sizes are the most commonly felted items.

I chose a pattern for a basket that one of my friends in the Over 40 Knitters group on Ravelry had made several times. Karen was my guide through the entire process, answering numerous questions and even taking photos of her work in process to show me. What a great help! It was rather odd knitting something that looked so shapeless, knowing that the finished shape would emerge during the felting. It was also my first attempt at knitting in the round, and I found that the mindless knitting is a great companion to watching television or participating in a conversation. But I was a bit nervous about the actual felting, because the instructions are vague and varied: wash in warm/hot water in a washer with an agitator, and check often.

Ta-da! Here is the finished basket:


I am so pleased with the result! Along with the basket I sent a skein of alpaca/silk lace weight yarn, some dark chocolate, a portable Post-It holder, a little pottery angel and some assorted freebies that I picked up along the way. The box went into the mail on Friday and Amy received it yesterday...and she likes it!

I am so thrilled with felting that I am working on a handbag for me and already have the yarn to start another basket.

Back from the wilderness

I am happy to report that we survived the Boy Scout camp out! In some ways, it was worse than I thought it would be but in most ways, it was not as bad as I thought. Unfortunately, it rained steadily all day Friday and well into the night, so we had to set up camp in the rain but were able to keep the inside of the tent fairly dry. The clouds and overall dampness finally ended mid-Saturday morning and then it got quite chilly - well, chilly by Georgia-in-October standards.

We had a good time, particularly since Aidan’s Tiger Cub den all camped together and the five families did things together. We were smelly and dirty but since everyone was that way, no one really stood out! Aidan received his first beads and the Bobcat badge at the campfire on Saturday night, and was absolutely thrilled. He tried rock climbing, played a version of soccer that resembled no version I have ever seen, learned to tie knots and use a compass, and generally did Boy Scout stuff in the woods. My attitude improved as the hours went by and I was even able to sneak in a little knitting.

But it certainly was good to load up the car and drive back to our house yesterday morning. The campground was only a 45 minute drive south of here so it was quick and easy to get back. And the first order of business (or odor) when we arrived was to take showers and put on clean clothes. The washer ran all day as I washed everything that we took, whether it was worn or not; everything smelled like damp camp.

I am tired of boys. Boys yelling, boys shrieking, boys running, boys pushing, boys farting and burping, boys breathing. Aidan did great on his first camping trip and I did pretty darn good, too. But I called dibs on the first shower!

Into the woods

This is the weekend of the Boy Scout family camp out. Yippee. As you can tell, I am not at all thrilled...I would like nothing more than to stay in the comfort of my house while Aidan and James go sleep in a tent surrounded by 35 other families with boys. But I caved in to the pleading, begging, stern looks and guilt to which I was subjected. By James, I might add - Aidan probably wouldn't mind one bit to have a break from mommy.

I never camped until I met James and then I did so reluctantly. Before Aidan, we camped twice a year or so, and it wasn't too bad, but we chose campgrounds that had hot showers and flush toilets. I have been led to expect a much lower level of accommodations at the Boy Scout campground. As in outdoor shower stalls and only one building with flush toilets. Oh, joy.

So this morning I am assembling piles of stuff for us to take. Piles and piles and piles, or so it seems. And I am trying to get my attitude to another place, a place where I don't whine and complain and roll my eyes. But let me tell you, that place is a long way off right now!

What riches!

I participated in another swap on Ravelry, this time within the Motherhood Later Than Sooner group. What a great bunch of women, all of whom have had children past the age of 35. This "mommy swap" consisted of one handcrafted (knit or crochet) item, a skein of yarn and then any other extra items you wanted to include. We filled out brief questionnaires and then our moderator extraordinaire matched us with another mommy.

The mommy who "got me" is Jennifer, who lives in Poestenkill, New York. She is also a SAHM and although she is a fan of the NE Patriots and the NY Yankees, she is a great person (just kidding, Jennifer - had to get in a sports dig). I have enjoyed the exchange of messages with her and she cracked me up when she posted a swap project page which described brown and grey gauchos!

Jennifer really outdid herself…first, everything was wrapped beautifully:


And when I unwrapped each item, look what I found:


My tape measures are always disappearing, so I will hide this one in my knitting notions and keep it safe. Next, I have some delicious Godiva dark chocolate almonds which will also be hidden and will NOT be shared (although Aidan saw them immediately - I distracted him with M&Ms).

Next, Malabrigo, which is fun to say but even nicer to pet - luscious, luscious, luscious in feel and even more luscious in color. It’s a gorgeous purple and you can be sure that this will be knit into something for me. I am going to have such fun poring over patterns and choosing something delicious!

And last, but never least, a Calorimetry made from Frog Tree Alpaca in Ohio State Buckeye colors. OH-IO! I might even wear it this weekend while on the Boy Scout camping trip, to hide my nature-styled hair.

Jennifer did an excellent job of reading my questionnaire and poking around my Ravelry project queue, and put together a wonderful swap gift. I think everyone else in the swap wishes they were me right now...except where are those gauchos?

I'm not in your way, am I?

Because if I'm not, I can always move and COMPLETELY cover your knitting pattern.










Hmm...black cat + brown sofa = dark photo!

Air show 2008

For the second year in a row, we attended the Great Georgia Airshow.

Great, I don't know, but we certainly had a lot of fun yesterday.




Why is it that the person who makes the most noise in our family is the one who thought the airplanes were too loud?


Delta Airlines' Pink Plane brought a tear to my eye, as I thought of the many women (and men) who have lost their lives to breast cancer, including my dear cousin, Ann, and my mother's friend, June.

No news

I am usually a news junkie but lately, I can hardly bear to hear the news or read a newspaper. Every day the economy sinks lower and lower, and every time I think we have bottomed out, it goes even lower. I honestly wonder what is going to happen to us all as a country, as a world, and specifically to James, Aidan and me. The company for which James works is struggling and layoffs are looming...will James be included, or not? We don't know, and the knot in the pit of my stomach gets heavier and heavier. Our budget is already stretched but I suppose it can always stretch more.

It does not help that we live in a seemingly affluent area, where most people live in bigger houses and drive more luxurious cars. Aren't they affected by this lousy economy? Or are they just charging their lifestyle, hoping that someday it will get better?

Life is still good. But it could be better and a whole lot less uncertain right now.

Sibling rivalry

I am an Ohio State fan. I did not attend Ohio State, but growing up in Ohio, it was natural to cheer for them. Spending the last 20 or so years in either SEC or ACC territory has only strengthened my loyalty to the Buckeyes.

Since moving to Michigan, my brother has become a fan of Michigan teams. He lives in East Lansing so I can understand cheering for the Michigan State Spartans but, more annoyingly, he has also developed an affinity for the [shudder] Michigan Wolverines. In my house, they are known as the team against which we always root.

This morning as I waited to give blood at an American Red Cross donation drive, I realized that I had a voice mail message on my mobile telephone. I accessed the message and heard the [shudder] Michigan fight song being hummed loudly in my ear - it was my brother, on his way to the "Big House" to see the [shudder] Wolverines play Illinois, wishing me "well" in the Ohio State vs. Wisconsin game on Saturday night.

He was laughing as he left the message, but who got the last laugh? Me - Michigan lost and Ohio State won. And as I always say: it is a good day when Ohio State wins AND Michigan loses!

Sometimes, it rains

Baseball season for the Cleveland Indians, and for me, ended on Sunday, 28 September. The Tribe had a less than illustrious season this year, finishing in the middle of the American League Central Division with a record of 81-81.

So no more baseball for me this season - but wait 'till next year!

"Sometime you win, sometimes you lose, and sometimes, it rains."
- Skip, Bull Durham

The Tournament of Roses Parade scarf

My mother will be going out to Pasadena the end of the year with her friend/neighbor, Barbara, to see the Tournament of Roses parade. How fun! Mom and I are huge fans of the Tournament of Roses parade and watch every minute of the parade every year. In fact, Aidan knows it as one of the only two times during the year that we eat in the living room while watching television, the only other time being the Super Bowl.

I wanted to make Mom a fun little scarf to wear and since it won't be bitterly cold (hopefully) out there, I chose a short lacy scarf knit in a laceweight alpaca/silk blend. James suggested the color since it reminded him of a red rose, which is, of course, one of the symbols of the parade.

It was both a fast and easy knit, but it certainly does not photograph well!



There is more than enough yarn leftover as well as time, so I plan to knit another scarf for her traveling companion.

My cutie patootie

Two recent photos of Aidan:

Aidan joined Cub Scouts this year and he looks so adorable in his little uniform. So, anybody want to buy some Boy Scout popcorn?

James' parents went on holiday in Alaska recently and sent Aidan a toy penguin. Two cuties in this photo!

Here leezard leezard leezard

After Aidan gets home from school, he has a snack and then does his homework, under my supervision. Homework for a first grader consists of studying spelling words, completing a page or two of math problems and a few pages from his reading workbook, and reading a story or book. It usually takes him thirty minutes or so.

He walked into the sun room to get a pencil for his math homework and shrieked. I went out there to see why he shrieked and he was laughing at a little lizard, running across the floor. Aidan said "My foot was straight over it when I saw it!" The lizard was about four inches long, about half of which seemed to be tail. Wow, could he move fast! Because of the lovely mild temperatures most of the day, I had the windows open until mid-afternoon and I suspect that he crawled in around one of the window screens.

I got a plastic cup from the kitchen and we chased him around the perimeter of the sun room until we finally cornered him, and got him into the cup. Aidan took him outside to let him go and we watched him skitter away.

And where was Spenser all this time? No idea, but I am rather glad he was nowhere to be found...I didn't want the lizard to get hurt nor did I want to later clean up regurgitated lizard.

Later I looked online and found out that our visitor is a five-lined skink:


So...is a promiscuous skink a skanky skink?

Farm days

Yesterday afternoon we spent a few delightful hours at Heritage Days at Minter's Farm. After our first experience last year, we were excited to return this year and we were not disappointed. The weather was delightful: sunny but not hot, with a light breeze.

There were, of course, lots and lots of vintage tractors including John Deere tractors (always a family favorite).


Aidan would have happily spent the entire time hulling corn and then grinding it - see the little smile in the first picture?

We had to practically tear him away from the corn to go and see everything else there was to see! Aidan saw several classmates from school, we got to scratch some donkeys behind the ears and feed some chickens. This year we actually saw the moonshine still, which we were told was only processing water. Right. What's the point of that?

Although there was no sight of Mullet Man from last year, the people watching was still quite good. And as we rode in a hay wagon back to the parking area, a woman noticed my Ohio State t-shirt - turns out she is also a fan. So there we were, surrounded by bubbas in their Georgia Bulldogs gear, happily talking about Buckeye football!

As with last year, a good time was had by all.