What WIPs?

Just saw the Frozen Leaves  shawl pattern on Ravelry.  I want to ditch everything else and cast one on immediately!  An intervention may be in order.

Wednesday

Today I’m going on a field trip with  my first grade students.  We’re off to see a play in Portland, followed by a picnic lunch at a local park.  The play promises to be fun and I’m sure that my  own students will enjoy the trip and behave perfectly (crossing finger, toes, eyes, etc. that this is true).  The bus ride down and back will be loud and wild though because the kids will all be excited… all 90 of them!   There’s no way that many people, even little ones, can be quiet inside a rumbling tin can that echoes little voices.  I do wonder what the planners were thinking though when they decided on a picnic lunch in the middle of winter in Washington. It’s pouring buckets outside and there is no shelter at the park.  The poor little dears will be muddy, cold and miserable before the day is through.  I’m relying heavily on the aid of my assistants, a.k.a., ear plugs and Advil to enhance (or in this case, subdue) the outing by making the bus ride tolerable.  The theater does not allow photography so the camera is staying home. 

Elsewhere, my DH is going to see Bowling for Soup with a co-worker on Saturday. He asked if I wanted to go too, but the answer was, “No.”  The poor fellow lives with 4 females and I’m sure he’d enjoy an estrogen-free evening.  Heck, even our pets are female. Sometimes I’m surprised that he can still pee standing up. 

Speaking of the girls, they are all really busy. A3’s activities were cut way back because Chess Club is over and she decided that Math Is Cool (another after-school club) wasn’t her “thing”.  That leaves Girl Scouts and Wrestling on her agenda. A2 has a big science project on the crab nebula coming up and a band concert so she’s pretty much occupied. A1 still has daily Knowledge Bowl practices and she’s getting extra help for math during that time as well.  Thank heavens the team is coached by an amazing teacher who is willing and able to help her, because lord knows that I’m lost and of no use in the numbers department.  Hmm, after reading this, someone might think my girls are a right bunch of nerds… I wish.  A3 manages to wreak havoc and cause trouble on a daily basis. Her poor teacher is a saint who deserves a raise. A2 is a complete and utter smart-arse, with a barbed tongue. And A1 spends most of her day obsessing over make-up, hair, clothes and boys, which might explain the need for extra help in Algebra.

Now off to seek that perfect balance of coffee for the morning. That means enough caffeine has been ingested to be alert and functional, but no so much that I have to use the bathroom constantly, especially while stuck on the bumpy bus ride.

Cheers!

  

  

Sunday Evening

Spring is definitely in the air!  Trees are covered with buds, bulbs are popping up and we’ve been serenaded to sleep each night with frog songs.  A2 found this little guy in our back yard this weekend, but she was afraid to touch him. I wasn’t. Heck, I grew up in the middle of a cranberry bog and frogs were among my favorite playmates.  Here he/she is.

In an escape attempt the little guy leaped from my hand and landed on my face.  The girls completely freaked out, but one of them had the camera handy and she still managed to take a picture.  They were convinced that I’d contract a terrible disease, or at least get warts, from him sitting on my face.  He wasn’t there long and I washed afterwards. 

Part of me is tempted to get out some spirit gum and fake skin from the Halloween box and cover my face with impromptu bumps and lumps just to see how they react.

Eventually we let the little fellow loose again in the garden.

Other than a few lame dishrags (this particular one was knitted in a dark movie theater while watching Avatar) the

only other project was casting on a February Lady sweater.

The rest of the weekend was spent cleaning and getting ready for the ensuing work/school week.  I tried going to bed at 8:00, but insomnia is keeping me awake.  Going back to lay down again. Cheers!

From the Mouths of Babes

I’ve worked with children for a few years now.  Even before rejoining the work force I volunteered in my daughters’ schools, worked with Girl Scouts and we always had “extras” at our house. Inevitably, I’ve been called, “Mom” by many children who aren’t mine.  Usually this happens when they’re playing or concentrating on something else… it just kind of slips out.  I’ve never been offended.  “Mom” is a pretty good thing to be called. For the most part it means that the child feels comfortable around you, and let’s face it, moms rock.   I’ve been spoken to rudely by children before (usually my own) but seldom is the word “Mom” included in these verbal assaults. My own dear ones prefer,  “Mother”  when angry.  Because I work in a public school and the P.C. police are everywhere, I do gently correct students who slip and call me, “Mom”.   Usually the kids calling me this get a good laugh out of it and we continue on… no big deal.

My job as an Aide, Para-Educator, (whatever we’re called nowdays, it varies) means that I work with small groups of students who have special needs or challenges.  During the course of this past school year the students I work with have grown used to being around me.  They know my expectations, which are quite high, and they work hard.  Lately, one of the students has become so comfortable around me that he sometimes forgets to call me ”Mrs. Xxxxxxx”, instead, he calls me “Grandma”.  GRANDMA!  Oh holy!  He isn’t being disrespectful, it just slips out.  When did I skip demographics and move from “Mom” to “Grandma”?  My ego is wounded. No amount of haircolor can undo that damage.  

Our Weekend

We are finally home for a weekend with no planned extra-curricular activities!  Whoo. . . and, of course, hoo!  I  finished a Christmas hat this morning.  Other than the 2009 cards, the holiday is almost completed.

It has earflaps that fold up and tie when not in use, but they’re easy to get down should an ear-chilling breeze kick in unexpectedly.  

I also helped A3 do the finishing on a little purse she’s been working on.  She used her own handspun yarn and learned how to double crochet to make this.

 

Last night (Friday) I was delighted to discover that the Humane Society field trip planned by A3’s Brownie troop meant that a representative and her dog were coming to the school instead of us driving there.  Not having to make the 45 minute drive each way shaved several hours off of the grand finale of week-long marathon of kid activities.  For some reason I’d misunderstood the notes from the troop leaders and thought that we were all driving there.  Here are the girls (A3 is in the middle, wearing the green shirt without her Brownie vest on) posing with a delightful doggy, named Cooper.

Cooper is 10 years old and he visits schools, nursing homes, etc. for a living.  He was so gentle and well-behaved that I wasn’t even afraid of him.  I hate to admit it, but I’m always nervous around dogs… especially big ones. One bark or show of teeth from them and I’ve officially got the shit scared out of me.  This particular lecture was about canine safety. The speaker was excellent and she taught us tips for surviving dog attacks, hints for how to recognize a potentially aggressive dog and she taught the girls the safest ways to approach animals and until the girls were able to demonstrate all of the steps correctly they weren’t allowed to pet Cooper.  Seeing the big, lovable pooch there waiting to be petted was very motivational and the girls were all able to remember every step in order. They were: 1. ask their own adult first (because the owner is a stranger, of course)  2. ask the owner,  3. make sure the dog wasn’t eating, sleeping, toileting or showing signs of aggression, 4. keeping their faces back, slowly extend a soft “Paw” shaped hand for inspection and finally, 5.  ONLY using a flat palm, pet the dog on the neck or back.  Apparently head pets can be misconstrued as aggression and individual fingers can tickle, causing the dog to nip the itch.  Most dog owners probably know all of this, but much of it was news to me (other than the asking permission).

She also taught them to silently drop and cover their vital parts should an aggressive dog approach them.  This one in particular is hard because everyone’s first instinct is to run and/or scream.  The speaker also told us how to get a dog to let go of someone who it’s biting.  Basically, what you do is tightly grab ahold of its tail or a back leg and pull like there’s no tomorrow.  When you do this the dog will open its mouth and turn around to defend itself.  That’s all great for the person being released, but then you’re stuck holding the tail or leg until help can arrive.  I think we’ll just stick to cats.  If they attack you can pull them off and perform a simple drop kick.

Speaking of cats, the standoff between Bonny and Roxanna continues.  The tables have turned slightly and now Bonny is out in the open and Roxanna is lurking.  They go back and forth in the power struggle… and here all this time I thought testosterone was to blame for territorial, aggressive behavior.  If I didn’t know better I’d swear these cats have penises.

We did get some Valentine’s Day decorations up.  They look cheerful against the gray skies and blighted plants. 

If the rains hold off again tomorrow then plans are to start cleaning up in the garden area.  The idea of spending another summer without a garden is out of the question.  Zucchini do NOT grow well in pots and the overgrown weed patch was a source of angst and depression I don’t wish to revisit.    In the meantime, it’s wonderful to have the whole family home at once.  Hope everyone enjoys their weekend.

MIA

Sorry, been missing in action these past few weeks.  As normal, all of the “action” belongs to my girls.  We have multiple activities every night after school. I miss sleep. I miss knitting. I miss sanity.  Wrestling, Knowledge Bowl, Cookie sales (Girl Scouts), Chess Club, Math Club, Band Concerts, etc. should all end towards the end of March.  Until then I’ll be main-lining coffee and hoping I make it to work wearing all of my clothes. I need a visit from Sven! Cheers!

Hodge Podge

Another bout of winter illness sent A2 home yesterday and today I joined her in severe coughing fits while my innards turned into outards… don’t ask.  Being home meant that we were able to go on-line and check out the devastation in Haiti. Those poor people! Nothing will bring back the lives that were lost, but hopefully the world can work together to make Port Au Prince, and other areas too, more stable and habitable than they were before the earthquake.  The poverty those people lived in before was unimaginable.  Seeing the images taken there makes a boring night at home eating Ramen noodles seem like a treat. 

After viewing the destruction it was time for some levity and daily visits to I Can Has Cheezburger  and Stuff On My Cat.  Roxanna decided to “help.”  She adores following the pointer icon around on the monitor. She’ll sit for long periods of time watching it, just trying to catch the elusive thing.

 

Sometimes she loses herself in the excitement  and faceplants on the monitor while trying to bite the arrow.  That explains the cat hair and kitty snot on my screen.  Of course she never admits to a mistake or acts embarrassed, but rather feigns indifference by doing her laundry after each bonk on the snout.  She’s a very clean cat.

 

Sedentary activities were on the agenda. I finally finished my DH’s Christmas slippers. They turned out quite ugly, but they are very warm and comfortable.  He’s wearing them now as he manuevers his undead warrior dude thingy through a raid in WOW.

Slippers weren’t the only “ugly, but good” daily product.  Dinner consisted of homemade fish and chips. It was made with some of the Alaskan Cod my parents brought us for the holidays.  It turned out tasting fabulous, in spite of looking like fast food rejects.  I wasn’t able to break up one of the frozen layers so it all had to be defrosted, thus I ended up making way too much for tonight. No worries, we’ll have fish tacos tomorrow night.  These were the left over pieces.

I only made one trip out of the house, to pick up A1 from Knowledge Bowl practice and A3 from Chess Club.  A1 informed me that both her school and the elementary school where I work went into lockdown today because of a bank robbery.  The thief wasn’t caught. But then again, the town’s police officer might not have been in the office (which has a magnificent view of the bank, btw).  During the lockdown one of my daughter’s classmates got excited because of the sirens so she opened the outside door to have a better look. She’s 13 and theoretically should have known better.   When A1 heard the tale from her older sister she got quite indignant. Her elementary school didn’t go into lockdown because it’s not near the actual town where the robbery happened, but rather several miles away. She grumbled on the way home about  “never getting to see any ‘action’.”  My patented mom response to her was that boredom is a luxury that many in the world can’t afford. I contemplated showing her pictures from Haiti, but opted instead to settle for the lecture.

Only a few rows of a hat were knitted.  This was supposed to be part of a Christmas present… ahem.

 

Slower Than Molasses in January

January is probably my least favorite month of the year.  The landscape is bleak, the month is long and there are no major holidays, etc. to break up the monotony.  Then there’s the weather… true to northwest tradition, it’s raining and outside activities are limited.  Snow would be welcome so we could go play and enjoy a “snow day”.  This weekend my DH had drill so it was just us chickens at the ranch. Other than one quick trip out for weekly groceries we stayed home.   The girls slept late, played on their DS’s and watched a couple of movies.  For a change, we (meaning the girls, not me or my dh) didn’t even have guests over.

Speaking of slow, peace negotiations remain at a standstill, with border skirmishes breaking out unexpectedly.   Neither of the kitties seeks the other out, but inevitably their paths cross several times a day.  Unfortunately, both Roxie and Bonny are drawn to the same places in spite of two separate feeding areas and litter boxes.

Then we have “Beyond Slow.” A  lonesome sock was removed from time out and a mate will, hopefully, be finished this week.  It’s the “Small Capitals” pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks,  but for the life of me I can’t remember what the yarn is… a cotton blend of some variety.  These are for a co-worker and they were started for her last year. By last year, I don’t mean last month, but rather many months ago.

Old Blue came out of hibernation for a couple hours of spinning.  I’m still working the wool I had cleaned and carded last winter/spring. It’s taking forever to get through this and fill the bobbin because I need to stop every few feet and pull out vegetable matter or hard lumps leftover from the processing. It’s also a very thin single, which adds to the slow progress.

A3 officially began pre-sales for Girl Scout Cookies.  Cookie sales are my least favorite thing about this.  I’m not an out-going person and selling things door-to-door is  right up there with having my fingernails pulled out on my “fun” list.   This is especially true in our neighborhood.  I’m going to fall back on my previous pattern of buying multiple cases myself.  The cookies freeze well and nobody should be surprised to receive cookies in lieu of gifts in the coming months.  My butt will probably be getting bigger as well. A3 and I will join the other girls and parents outside the stores in February. That’s nowhere near as agonizing as the door-to-door sales, which she so desperately wants to do.  The carrot being dangled to the girls is that if they sell 2,000 boxes they can earn a Wii.  If I bought 2,000 boxes then I’d probably break the Wii!

My brother sent pictures of his daughter and her two little girls.  The youngest, Abigail,  was just born in December and the oldest, Maliegha,  turned one in September. I think my niece is the spitting image of my mom.  Everyone here thinks she looks like me.  I guess that means I must look a little bit like my mom.

Being perpetually behind in my knitting, I’ve not made anything yet for the new baby.  Like I said, slower than molasses.  Hope everyone enjoyed a great weekend. Cheers!

I’m Not Complaining!

There is no way on earth that I’m going to complain about continuous rain after checking out the weather reports for the rest of the nation.  Heaven help those folks enduring the -50°F wind chill factor and weeks of sub-zero temperatures.  Standing on a soggy playground watching first graders sloshing around in drizzle seems like a tropical paradise in comparison.

I’m not going to complain about knitting with mohair yarn because 1. I had yarn to knit with. 2. and more importantly, IT’S FINISHED!  This proved to be a great learning experience.  The pattern featured several crucial design elements.

First, the pattern needed to be mostly stockingnet because, as I stated earlier, mohair is nigh on impossible to rip out.  The extreme halo of the yarn meant that using larger needles (size 4) than the yarn called for gave the finished object an overall lacy effect without leaving gaping holes. The larger needles were also ideal for speed.  The decision to knit this sideways  evolved from the idea of using as much of one skein of yarn as possible without running out.  Also, because many triangular shawls have a point that hangs down quite low on people shorter than 5′5″ (of which I am one) I wanted to taper the sides and then knit even straight across and thus eliminate the point altogether.   The lacy edging was simple and knitted at the same time as the main body of the shawl.

I’m not going to complain that this picture didn’t work out because I had didn’t have to take it myself (the shawl is off-center in this picture so it’s hard to see the center). On both ends the points on the lace face towards the center, then there is a “V” where they meet in the middle.  Overall, it was an enjoyable knitting project. Now on to finish some other  items.

I’m not going to complain about the tons of junk mail filling my box on a daily basis because yesterday this arrived!

It’s a lovely tin full of Roxie’s home-made rumballs in three varieties and an ultra big. ultra pretty washrag.  Thank you Dear!  Can one get tipsy from candy?  It may just be a sugar high but after partaking of several last night I was extremely relaxed.

I’m not going to complain about Roxanna being silly because she is a dear little kitty who breaks into rapturous purrs with even the slightest bit of attention.  Her newest favorite place to nap is in the pantry next to the cookie jar.

I’m not going to complain about Bonny being grumpy because now and then she’ll do something really sweet. She’s taken a shine to A2’s new slippers and she takes every opportunity to smear nostril sauce and drool over them, therefore letting us know that even though she’s not “sociable” , she still loves us (or at least our footwear).

I’m not going to complain about teenaged angst and the drama of thirteen year old girls because I know that my oldest daughter is confident enough to stand up for herself and her friends, even under pressure.   A1 has witnessed the self-destructive behavior of a friend and she refuses to stand by and do nothing.  As a result, said friend is angry with A1. A1 refuses to cover  for her (translation, lie) nor will she pretend to like the friend’s new acquaintance (male, verbally abusive) just to make everyone feel comfortable.  It’s a sticky situation, but I admire A1’s courage. Being a teenager is hard.

I’m not going to complain about having to get up early for work each morning because I have a job.  Working with first graders is fun! I enjoy their company more than that of many adults.

I’m not going to complain about my messy kitchen because I have my own kitchen  to mess up and food to stick to my floor. 

I’m not going to complain about never having a private moment because that means my family wants to be near me.

Now, off to pop a few rumballs, scour the kitchen and take a bath, which is sure to be interrupted. Cheers!

Parental Visitation

My parents stopped by today for a holiday visit.   We’d not seen them since Thanksgiving and seeing them was wonderful.  We exchanged Christmas presents and they brought us a some fresh seafood. Tonight for dinner we’re having Alaskan Cod and dungeness crab.

There aren’t many neat ways to eat crab so the girls and I will just stand out on the back porch with a garbage can and hose everything down when we’re finished. My DH doesn’t eat crab, but he loves cod.

They gave the girls matching hooded sweatshirts, cranberry colored, of course! Here are the girls being silly with Grandma and Grandpa.

They  endured our loud family stayed and visited with us for several  hours, but they needed to head back before the roads got too dark. It’s about a 2 1/2 to 3 hour drive on twisting  and turning country roads.  I’m not sure if they’re stopping by my sister’s along the way, but we sent her Christmas stuff with them anyway.  She sees them quite often and is a much better daughter.

My mom is feeling much better now and my dad is just as taciturn as ever (not that he’d have much of a chance to talk with all of us gabbing).  I tried to crawl in the back of the truck and leave with them, but my DH caught me and made me come back in the house.  It was a lovely visit.