I know I said I wanted to blog every day (or very nearly), but somehow that just isn't panning out right now. Hopefully I'll get back into the swing of things, but for right now, I refuse to stress out over it. As I'm typing, Annabelle is dancing around in her crib. I don't mean gentle swaying, I mean the child has turned her bed into a moon bounce, moving in circles the way her big brothers do at every street carnival we attend. I would be more concerned if she were taller, but she's still small enough to stay contained and slow enough to avoid any serious whacks to the head.
Just as I was trying to figure out why she won't settle down and take her overdue nap, I heard a rousing chorus of "A,B,C,D,E,F,B..." wafting up the stairs... along with the gleeful pronouncement that, "there's two B's in there," followed by hysterical giggling. Looks like Annabelle's not the only one overdue for a nap. The crooner will be four on Tuesday and is vehemently opposed to the very idea of napping... until he passes out right in the middle of playing.
Said nearly-four-year old has been wanting a pirate party for a couple months now complete with pirate ship cake. It's all he's talked about for the last couple weeks... until he had to get new shoes. The ones that were in his size and happened to be on sale were Spiderman. I'm sure you can guess what happened next. The last week and a half has been filled with excitement over all things Spiderman; videos, shoes, toys, puzzles, party favors... Looks like now we are going to have a Spiderman pirate party. He wants Spidey party favors and a Spidey pinata with a pirate ship cake. It's a cake I made for his brother's third and ninth birthdays, and now Edison wants one of his own. Hopefully his will turn out better than Iain's last one. It arrived at his party looking like it had been under attack. Oh well. I don't have to worry about it until Saturday.
For Tuesday, he has a couple April Fools' Day birthday surprises in store for his preschool friends and Iain's Cub Scout pack. For preschool he is taking in a Grilled Cheese Cake. He's excited about it and I'm hoping it will go over well with the Under-Four demographic. For Scouts he wants to take in little shamburgers. My boys love peppermint patties and are halfway hoping the others won't like them much so the leftovers can come home. I've got to have some way to take pictures by then, so I'm either going to get a couple disposable cameras and have the pics put on disc, or I'm going to have to pony up to send the pics via phone. I like my phone, but the camera is just not that great and it's a quarter a shot for so-so pictures. Oh well, I'm still searching for my digital camera, so perhaps it will surface in the next couple days. Looks like I have a little more shopping to do and then I can finish my chemo-cap (very,nearly done) and start on a couple other gifts.
Showing posts with label humor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label humor. Show all posts
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Inching along
I'm still working on Gran's sock. I'm not as far along as I would prefer, but I'm farther along than I thought I would be. Playing Florence Nightingale doesn't leave as much time for knitting as I would like. Fortunately, my mom has come up to help shuttle everyone around and dispense medications, hugs and smooches. Everyone was feeling a bit better and Mom was here to help cover all the bases, so she encouraged my husband to take me out for a quick bite. Because my life's schedule and my knitting schedule are refusing to synch up, I had Gran's sock with me. (I am knitting like a mad fool.) I made up my mind to get over my fear of the dark, well really it's more of a fear of knitting in the dark. I just know I'm going to be moving right along making record time and then while showing off my amazing progress, discover that there is a huge error two inches back, (Don't ask how I know this can happen. This is not the season for such a tale of woe and despair,) but I digress.
I was working on the sock while we waited for our drinks. I was knitting while we waited for our appetizer. I was still working when the entree came out. It was too much for our server. He could contain himself no longer. He refilled our drinks (again... I love that!) and asked, "So what is that you're weaving?" I smiled and told him it was a sock I was knitting for Gran. (I feel compelled to gently correct the slightly mis-informed youth.) I waited for his non-committal, "oh, that's nice" reaction. He looked at me and with a big grin said, "That's so cool!! So is it going to be a sock with a heel in it, or just a tube? She's going to like those." We spoke for a bit about how difficult turning the heel would be (not terribly) and how close I was to the deadline (terribly). He assured me I could make it and I mentally adjusted his tip a bit higher.
In lieu of having actual pictures of the second sock, I'll recycle the shot of the first sock. I debated using the rest of the first skein and pulling to the right spot to make the stripes match. Then I thought about it a bit more. I have to use both skeins anyway, so why match stripes up twice. I popped open the new skein matched up starting points (very nearly) and went to work. The benefit of this is that I can reference the first sock to show you my progress.
The second sock is currently at the first bright blue band (I've actually knit two rows of the bright blue.) I had to estimate where to begin, so the green part of the toe is a smidgen bigger on the second sock, but at least it gives you an idea.
I was enjoying my meal and entertaining the prospect of actually ordering dessert when it hit me.... my eldest's class party was today. Some genius had volunteered me to bring not just cookies, but brownies as well. (Just call me Einstein.) That's OK though, cookie batter and brownie edges make a fine dessert and I subscribe to the theory that goodies which are broken or used for quality assurance, have no calories. Now if I could just figure out how to bake and knit at the same time...
I was working on the sock while we waited for our drinks. I was knitting while we waited for our appetizer. I was still working when the entree came out. It was too much for our server. He could contain himself no longer. He refilled our drinks (again... I love that!) and asked, "So what is that you're weaving?" I smiled and told him it was a sock I was knitting for Gran. (I feel compelled to gently correct the slightly mis-informed youth.) I waited for his non-committal, "oh, that's nice" reaction. He looked at me and with a big grin said, "That's so cool!! So is it going to be a sock with a heel in it, or just a tube? She's going to like those." We spoke for a bit about how difficult turning the heel would be (not terribly) and how close I was to the deadline (terribly). He assured me I could make it and I mentally adjusted his tip a bit higher.
In lieu of having actual pictures of the second sock, I'll recycle the shot of the first sock. I debated using the rest of the first skein and pulling to the right spot to make the stripes match. Then I thought about it a bit more. I have to use both skeins anyway, so why match stripes up twice. I popped open the new skein matched up starting points (very nearly) and went to work. The benefit of this is that I can reference the first sock to show you my progress.
The second sock is currently at the first bright blue band (I've actually knit two rows of the bright blue.) I had to estimate where to begin, so the green part of the toe is a smidgen bigger on the second sock, but at least it gives you an idea.
I was enjoying my meal and entertaining the prospect of actually ordering dessert when it hit me.... my eldest's class party was today. Some genius had volunteered me to bring not just cookies, but brownies as well. (Just call me Einstein.) That's OK though, cookie batter and brownie edges make a fine dessert and I subscribe to the theory that goodies which are broken or used for quality assurance, have no calories. Now if I could just figure out how to bake and knit at the same time...
Friday, September 21, 2007
Holy Smokes
Wow! What a crazy summer it's been. We packed in a trip back home, a week at Cub Scout camp, a week in Pennsylvania and another trip back home all between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Sprinkled in there were three cases of strep (none of which belonged to the kids),a couple sets of out-of-town guests, a record-breaking heat wave and a blown transformer on the air conditioner. Now that we are in the end of summer, the AC has been fixed... yesterday. Part of the joy of owning a hundred-year-old house is the daily guessing game, "What's Going to Happen Next?"
Our first contestant was the home inspector. He got to play a rousing game of "Did Someone Just Flush the Toilet?" along with "How Fast Can I Evacuate This Crawlspace." Apparently after the addition was completed, the toilet did not get properly connected to the sewer. I thought that would have been a pretty essential job to do and that it would have been painfully obvious if it weren't done correctly. I also would have thought that someone would have noticed the accumulation of... umm... personal waste products in the crawlspace, especially considering the toilet was installed approximately 25 years ago, but I was very wrong. A couple thousand dollars and a removal team later, the plumber (not the original one) was able to get under the house and fix the pipe and we were all able to breathe a bit better.
Once we got moved in, we earned the opportunity to play "What the Hell is Bubbling Up in the Bathroom We Just Fixed?" While it does get the heart pumping, this is not a game I would recommend for families with young, inquisitive children. Another call to the plumber while en route to the store to procure a cheap mop and bucket, a gallon of disinfectant and an economy-size package of rubber gloves. Sure I keep most of those supplies on hand, but if you think that mop and bucket was going anywhere but to the curb, you are horribly mistaken. I know the disinfectant did its job, but the mop still gave me the creeps. Turns out the next pipe down the line had worked loose and created a backup.
Our next exciting installment was "How Many Fans Does It Take to Make the House Bearable?" This game began at the beginning of the aforementioned record-breaking heat wave. Fortunately we have two large trees which shade nearly half the house. Unfortunately, despite borrowing some extra fans from friends whose AC was still functioning, we were unable to determine the final answer. All we know is that it is a number greater than ten.
The most recent episode I lovingly refer to as "How Many Tries Does It Take to Repair the Front Door?" I long ago decided that the house had apersonality of its own. That's a large part of the reason I fell in love with it in the first place. But like many other relationships, once the gloss and shine of new love wears off, you're left with the gritty, less than ideal reality. In this case it was the front door. Recently it had become difficult to close. Not in an obvious way. Not in a "you pull the door and it stops before it should" kind of way. No, this was much more subtle. We would leave and pull the door closed behind us... or so we thought. All too often I would remember some forgotten item and head back up the steps, keys in hand only to discover the door was open about half an inch. I'm sure it was closed, it felt like it closed, I even scraped my knuckles on the door jamb for Pete's sake! One afternoon, on my way to run a quick errand before my son's soccer game, the door began playing its little tricks. I understand it was just crying out for attention, but in my frustration and hurry I closed it a bit more firmly than intended. It was one of those time-stopping moments. I knew as it closed that the slightly wavy glass was history. Sure enough, it shattered. We were able to buy a new piece of glass at the local hardware store, but had to wait a couple days to install it. As we were trimming the glass (I was not responsible for the measurements on this one. That job I left for my husband) we encountered a weak spot and nailed the plywood back up until we could get a new pane cut again. I have a new window again and the kids have a vivid lesson in why we don't slam the doors, so I guess it worked out O.K.
On the plus side, we had a lot of fun this summer, we sold our old house in record time and I was finally able to purchase a new digital camera. (My old one bit the dust several months ago.) I now have a Canon Power Shot that I think I really like. Aside from the fact that I have set an option and can't seem to straighten it out, I'm pretty pleased with my purchase. Of course the camera I was using (on my phone) looked like it was on a three day bender if the picture quality is any judge, so whatever I bought would have to be an improvement. I got it just in time to see the Yarn Harlot as she visited Virginia. More tomorrow... with actual knitting and pictures...
Our first contestant was the home inspector. He got to play a rousing game of "Did Someone Just Flush the Toilet?" along with "How Fast Can I Evacuate This Crawlspace." Apparently after the addition was completed, the toilet did not get properly connected to the sewer. I thought that would have been a pretty essential job to do and that it would have been painfully obvious if it weren't done correctly. I also would have thought that someone would have noticed the accumulation of... umm... personal waste products in the crawlspace, especially considering the toilet was installed approximately 25 years ago, but I was very wrong. A couple thousand dollars and a removal team later, the plumber (not the original one) was able to get under the house and fix the pipe and we were all able to breathe a bit better.
Once we got moved in, we earned the opportunity to play "What the Hell is Bubbling Up in the Bathroom We Just Fixed?" While it does get the heart pumping, this is not a game I would recommend for families with young, inquisitive children. Another call to the plumber while en route to the store to procure a cheap mop and bucket, a gallon of disinfectant and an economy-size package of rubber gloves. Sure I keep most of those supplies on hand, but if you think that mop and bucket was going anywhere but to the curb, you are horribly mistaken. I know the disinfectant did its job, but the mop still gave me the creeps. Turns out the next pipe down the line had worked loose and created a backup.
Our next exciting installment was "How Many Fans Does It Take to Make the House Bearable?" This game began at the beginning of the aforementioned record-breaking heat wave. Fortunately we have two large trees which shade nearly half the house. Unfortunately, despite borrowing some extra fans from friends whose AC was still functioning, we were unable to determine the final answer. All we know is that it is a number greater than ten.
The most recent episode I lovingly refer to as "How Many Tries Does It Take to Repair the Front Door?" I long ago decided that the house had apersonality of its own. That's a large part of the reason I fell in love with it in the first place. But like many other relationships, once the gloss and shine of new love wears off, you're left with the gritty, less than ideal reality. In this case it was the front door. Recently it had become difficult to close. Not in an obvious way. Not in a "you pull the door and it stops before it should" kind of way. No, this was much more subtle. We would leave and pull the door closed behind us... or so we thought. All too often I would remember some forgotten item and head back up the steps, keys in hand only to discover the door was open about half an inch. I'm sure it was closed, it felt like it closed, I even scraped my knuckles on the door jamb for Pete's sake! One afternoon, on my way to run a quick errand before my son's soccer game, the door began playing its little tricks. I understand it was just crying out for attention, but in my frustration and hurry I closed it a bit more firmly than intended. It was one of those time-stopping moments. I knew as it closed that the slightly wavy glass was history. Sure enough, it shattered. We were able to buy a new piece of glass at the local hardware store, but had to wait a couple days to install it. As we were trimming the glass (I was not responsible for the measurements on this one. That job I left for my husband) we encountered a weak spot and nailed the plywood back up until we could get a new pane cut again. I have a new window again and the kids have a vivid lesson in why we don't slam the doors, so I guess it worked out O.K.
On the plus side, we had a lot of fun this summer, we sold our old house in record time and I was finally able to purchase a new digital camera. (My old one bit the dust several months ago.) I now have a Canon Power Shot that I think I really like. Aside from the fact that I have set an option and can't seem to straighten it out, I'm pretty pleased with my purchase. Of course the camera I was using (on my phone) looked like it was on a three day bender if the picture quality is any judge, so whatever I bought would have to be an improvement. I got it just in time to see the Yarn Harlot as she visited Virginia. More tomorrow... with actual knitting and pictures...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)