Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Catchin' up

Oh, but the posting has been S.L.O.W.

What's been sucking up my time? Here ya' go:

1. 2 kids that can't possibly not pick at each other for longer than 5 seconds if they are physically in the same building together. Thank gods the baby can't talk yet. They pushed the biggest boy (aka "the husband") past the breaking point the other day, when after an entire 6 hours filled with zoo-ish fun, they saw the neighbors come home (and just how they knew they were coming home from the local ice cream joint I will never know, the little buggers have extrasensory abilities, I swear they do) when they were getting ready for bed, which prompted #1 to announce that our family never has any fun and she now wanted to live with Lukas' family because they were better. Am forever grateful to have blissfully been ensconced in a steamy shower instead of witnessing the resultant "fine, you just do that", door slamming, jammies marching down the sidewalk circus. (of course, when #2 got wind of what was up, he pronounced it a fine idea and went along...skipping.) They actually got to their sidewalk (we're urban folks, so don't think they were marching through the streets...their house is all of 10 feet from ours) before turning back in tears. Oh the drama of the return. The wailing. I am seriously afraid for summer.

2. Daily making plans to unpack the suitcases from the trip we took 3 weeks ago now. SIGH!

3. Major planning and implementation of silent auction to benefit the scholarship fund at preschool. As usual was left shaking my head in wonder at the psycho dynamics resulting from a group of supposedly mature women trying to work together. Oh the game-playing. And also as usual am left saying I will think long and hard before joining such an effort again. Yeah right.

4. Which led to much mindless rippling. Have resurrected the big ripple, and I am so loving the new color scheme. Sometimes frogging is fate:

4. (cont.) The rumpled round ripple

is now frogged and awaiting it's next incarnation. Going to try this pattern next. It's all just so soothing. Calms me waaaaaaaaaaaay down. The ripplers are keeping me on my toes too...over 160 No End In Sight Ripple Alongers now, and more over on Flickr.

5. More yarnishy stuff. Made a secret project...yep, you'll just have to find a way to wait for it. It's felted. And it's granny-ish. Also started working out a crochet spiral. Took mason Dixon Knitting on vacation with me and was intrigued by the spiral rag rug, but oh gosh would it be oh so much easier to crochet...and yep, it is. I'm not working with rag pieces right now, but the technique is slick and fun. Will be sure to post about it when I have a good bit worked up. Started my scarf bit for the Scarf Circle I signed up for through the Lime and Violet message boards...this is going to be FUN! The idea is that you start out by knitting a 6 inch scarf bit out of whatever yarn you have languishing about. Then it gets rather chain letterish. You pop the stitches on some waste yarn and mail it to the person next on your list. They knit another 6 inches with whatever yarn they have, and mail it on. My scarf will visit 12 knitters before being bound off and returned to me Sometime in the fall. It will have been all over the US, to Canada twice and even to the UK...sadly much better traveled than it's eventual wearer.

6. And then there be house cleaning (much delayed by the fact that I smashed my shin up good in the process of setting up the silent auction...OUCHY and SWOLLEN...like 9 months pregnant with pre-eclampsia swollen. not good, but I can justify sitting about with my feet up!) and food making and bathtime moderating and nap enforcing and laundry ignoring. Some pressing social issues driving me nuts, but am not sure I want to rant of that sort here...

Anyhoo, that be what I've been up too. Catch ya later...and yes, the next post will I promise be about the trip, the status of the projects I took along...double pinkie swear promise!

Thursday, April 19, 2007

I want to have a sectret pal FOREVER.

Once again, this whole Secret pal thing gets a tad eerie.

I literally came home from picking up #2 from preschool, hands full of baby and grocery bags...to find someone in my backyard in the process of disconnecting my power. Do you know how hard it is to make them stop that? To get them to listen for enough consecutive minutes to convince them they have the wrong house? HARD. For future reference, tears apparently have no effect whatsoever. I was like drowning, the kids were scared, it was awful.

...and then I found this in my spam:
Yes, my new SP10 pal hit it so far out of the ballpark it may reach poor Pluto. There just aren't enough words to tell you how this touched me today of all days. So, I won't even try, but know you have my undying thanks, mystery person of mine!

(and did I ever tell you my super-de-duper Lime and Violet Exchanger was NotScarlett? you should totally check out her blog, it's every bit as great as her presents!)

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Getting post rules!

I tell you, this surprise package thing is just the best. If I could give myself amnesia, set up a bunch of mailings for myself throughout the year, then un-amnesia myself, I so would. This is just the bestest!

So, we got home from our "late Easter" celebration at my parents'. (Yep, the "Mom, we're going to be driving home from Milwaukee on Easter, sorry we won't be making it this year" conversation somehow mutated into Easter being postponed a week in obnoxious, definitely un-savior-ish style...complete with egg hunt, more chocolate than is good for anyone (not to mention my 14 month old), leg of lamb and for some reason brand spankin' new Razor scooters of the Barbie and Hot Wheels variety. I swear, my mom has lost her wits. She needs some sort of grandmother 10 step program...) Anyway, frazzled would be a good description of the condition of my brain...or maybe I mean scrambled...

Anyway, there in the mailbox is the tiniest, cutest mailer envelop I have ever seen, absolutely covered in Canadian customs forms. And inside? The cutest retro-80s-ish stitch markers made by Graphic Design Chick. SQUEEEEEEEEE! Thank you Secret Pal 10 Pal! I love them!


And what have I been working on? Well, something SECRET to be revealed at a later date. TO be a late birthday present truth told. So zip yer lips.

But there has also been this:

Yep, am rippling again, and it's gooooooooooooood. (and yes, that is the baby's easter rabbit adroning the Donna Kooler's. sans head...oops.)

(still working on the vacation post...those goodies to come!)

Thursday, April 12, 2007

oh April.....

Let's just pause a minute to compare shall we? Do you mind? We'll get to the good stuff in the next few days, I promise.

April as seen out my front door this morning:

Poor, poor optimistically sprouting plants...how the 80s of a few weeks ago so cruelly tricked you.

April as seen from our balcony on Indian Rocks Beach, just outside of Tampa last week:

Oh, but The Fates are cruel...

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

NotScarlett, you ROCK!

LOOOOOOOOOOONG overdue SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE for Not Scarlett, my super-stupendous Official Lime and Violet pRon Exchange exchanger!

Not only did she send me the afore blogged super-excellent package and Loopy Ewe gift certificate, but when we finally traipsed home from Florida (no worries, mates, there are many, many more blog posts on that coming...cartrip crochet, balcony knitting, sun, waves, shells, Busch Gardens and oh so NOT fabulous-o Sea World, more sun, more waves, more knitting seaside yet more passenger seat crochet and even a kidless night out! oh soooo much to talk about!!!) anyway, home we limp, tired, full of sand, crabby after 5 hours in the car...and WHAM, BAM, BIFF, there on my floor lies BIG package. For ME. I was stunned. Poor thing, waiting forever to find out my reaction, but oh, the timing couldn't have been more perfection. One should always find such waiting after 2 days in planes and cars with small children. I believe I shall start sending mineself post.

Anyhoo, take a gander at this:

I mean, is that extra, extra credit or what? This gal, she's gained herself a huge mess of karmic protection with this one. Color me 5 shades of SPOILED!

To recap, that would be:
2 hanks of Lorna's Laces Shepard Sock in Lakeview (land o' 10, 000 lakes swoon!)
one hank of Lisa Souza Sock in Marsquake (otherworldly swoon!)
2 packages of mmmmmmm Dove chocolates
a sheepy journal and matching magnet
a sheepy keychain with sneaky hideaway pouch containing luscious lip balm (love me the burt's bees btw) and cuticle ointment I'm dying to rub in. (**wonders why she hasn't done that yet and resists the urge to trot off to indulge...must finish post!**)
AND one copy of One Skein Wonders along with one copy of Candi Jensen's latest, Knitting Loves Crochet. (love me the Candi Jensen, the woman just knows her stuff, knitting or crochet. will have reviews of both upcoming too btw...)

GASP, I may need to lay down.


I am simply totally overwhelmed.

Sarah, your generosity is astounding. My faith in humanity is restored. Strangers can be kind to strangers. We can all get along. We do care, damn it! The good DOES in fact outweight the bad. YEAH!

Let's take a closer looksee at the yarn, shall we?

Mmmmmmmmmm, Lisa Souza. And the Marsquake is absolute perfection for me. All warm and earthy and inspiration struck her when she was actually Looking at Mars in the heavens. Makes my geeky sci-fi heart go pitter pat.

And just look at the colors in this Lorna's. Really cool-ly lovely sock-ish wonderfulness. Soft as soft can be. Me thinks this may be my first pair of "jaywalkers"...YIPPEE!

More on the vacation later, must go bond with my new yarn...