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