Day 92
I gave Elmer a good brushing. Can you tell? I brushed out a ton of fur, and I thought that for sure he would be looking much less fluffy when I was done.
I was wrong. I think he's just kind of fat.
April 02, 2009
April 01, 2009
Day 91 - Drunk Monkey Edition
I love the Issaquah Brewhouse. The Murg took me out for a beer. Well, two, actually. The second was an especially butt-kicking beer. Yum.
March 31, 2009
Day 90
2 loaves. Gone in 2 days. But it was so good!
March 30, 2009
Day 89
This is my next-door neighbor in the office. I am such a bad co-worker because I can't remember his name, and after working together for 10 years, I am too embarrassed to ask him what it is.
March 16, 2009
Day 75
It's Noro Kureyon, color 91. I only have 10-11 balls of it, and I am thinking of making the Bobby's Garden Blanket. So for a lap throw, I would need many more balls of Kureyon. Many that I do not have. I don't even think that color is made anymore. So I was thinking of finding another Kureyon colorway to add to the mix, then bring it all together with a black center hexagon and black borders.
But it's not like I will be starting anytime soon, since Sock Madness is starting Thursday. Yikes. I think this is my 3rd year in a row. What was I thinking?
March 15, 2009
Day 74
Today's photo is of my "I Mog Di" sock from the first Wollmeise sock club shipment. I had put it down for a bit because I was having problems concentrating, and I really hated the "knit and rip" process I was following. It's going great now and I am having a lot of fun with few stupid knitter mistakes.
March 14, 2009
Day 73
It's the boy and his dog having some quality time together.
March 13, 2009
Day 72
For some reason Elmer found an unpopped corn kernel quite fascinating. He's a sweetheart, but not the brightest kitty.
March 12, 2009
Day 71
Just a wee bit more love of my home in the spring.
And the love of a good camera, too. It almost looks Photoshopped, but really all I did was resize for posting.
March 11, 2009
Day 70 - Wooly Love
I went sale shopping with a bit of extra money I actually had leftover this pay period. Since I had purchased from her before and been very pleased, I headed over to see what SpaceRomantic had on sale. I was very happy to find a couple of braids of BFL on sale. The blue is called "Washed Out" and the other is called "Meisai". Meisai has browns, black, lime and natural in it. I was looking for something in this color range, because I was wanting to spin up something a little more muted.
My order came to only $21.50 and it arrived in just a few days. I am happy. 
March 10, 2009
Day 68
My dear husband took me out for a quick pint and bite to eat at the Taphouse Grill last night. 160 beers on tap. You will find something you like (provided you like beer.) We were out at an info night thing for this MBA program that he is thinking of applying for, and we went to hang out and discuss what we found out. I think he should apply. It sounds perfect for him.
However, he decided I was in the mood for a rather high-octane beer. It was a good choice. I think it was Shiner Bock. Well, it was some kind of Bock. It was good, and went well with my sandwich! At some point toward the end of the evening, I said "I love that wall." He laughed and said "That's the beer talking."
ETA: It most definitely was not Shiner Bock. It was Helles Bock. Most times I can't remember what beers he feeds me. I normally like a good porter or a good stout. I think I insulted him by suggesting it could be Shiner. That would be almost as bad as me claiming to have been given Fat Tire by him. Beer snobs. Sheesh.
But really, I have always loved that wall above the bar! It's pretty! See? It's all lit up yellow, red and orange glass. Sugar maple colors...
March 09, 2009
Day 67
Today's daily photo is brought to you by my messy desk, and Nathan's finally finished Birthday socks! They are done in Lisa Souza's sock yarn in Mars Quake.
Well, I am glad I finally finished these! I have been working on them since July, and his birthday I was knitting these for was June 24th. Not to mention I still haven't started knitting his Christmas 2008 socks. I am a little behind, huh?
I wanted to take a photo of them on his feet, but he is sound asleep. It is 10:30 and he is tired. I'll let him sleep.
March 07, 2009
Day 66
I vacuumed. I fought with the vacuum cleaner, even though it is brand new. It seems that the kids ran over a piece of unraveled acrylic carpet and sucked it up. It jammed, and I thought I got it all removed. But I didn't see the piece that wound inside the brush and melted into a solid mass of plastic.
I stabbed my thumb twice with a crab fork trying to pry out the plastic mess. I probably have a nasty infection growing in my thumb now, because it is purply and swollen. Yuk. But everything is put back together and working well again.
This has been a reminder of why I don't like knitting with acrylic. It's plastic. It feels like plastic and melts like plastic when given the chance.
But on the bright side, my carpet is looking much bettter!
March 06, 2009
Day 65
She wouldn't wait for me to adjust my white balance settings.
March 05, 2009
Day 64
I love Trader Joe's.
March 04, 2009
Day 63
He has the prettiest eyes.
The rest of him is quite nice as well.
March 03, 2009
Day 62
I've been having some computer connection issues lately. Rather than sit and stare at my computer monitor waiting to reconnect to my work PC, I weave a few rows on my Weavettes. I figure eventually I will sew them together into a blanket or something.
It beats sitting here yelling at a dumb machine.
March 02, 2009
Day 61
This new sign is courtesy of my (thankfully) former boss. He has this thing for everyone being dead silent so everyone can work and get done all the projects that he has put unrealistic deadlines on. Yet this same man who thinks things need to be silent (so we can better hear him being a total idiot jerk to the vendors, and lying outright to his superiors and peers) also has been known to say "You need to communicate with each other more! Communication is vital to working effectively and efficiently!
But wait. Let's not forget the original sign he posted. Oh, yeah. It's still there.
March 01, 2009
Day 60
LOL.Nani looks so thrilled.
February 28, 2009
Day 59
I found out while folding laundry that Elmer's cat fur felts. Really. There were several little flat fuzzed up fur discs in my duvet cover. I had washed it inside out, and all Elmer's fur trapped in there clumped up and felted together. I spun about a yard of his fur into a 2-ply yarn back on Lexa's birthday party. My sister was amazed. It was sort of hard because the staple length wasn't very long, but easier than I expected since his fur sticks together so well. One of the kids took off with my little bit of cat yarn, so when I find it I will post a photo of it.
February 27, 2009
Day 58 - Nani 37 Weeks
Elmer had to be in the photo too. He would not be ignored. Nani is 37 weeks old. You would think that by now she isn't looking any different. Well, I suppose she's not. But she is slooooowly putting on more weight. She isn't looking so skinny. You would think that with as much as she eats, she would be fat as anything, but she is so busy growing all the time, she seems to always look on the thin side. She is finally starting to bulk up a bit, and she's really looking pretty.
February 26, 2009
Day 57
This is a very crappy photo taken on my phone. I had misplaced both my cameras that day. Actuall,. the kids misplaced my small one, and I misplaced my big boy.
The pink dye had finally faded from Elmer's head. So Harley decided that since she didn't have any more dye handy, Lexa's new markers would work nicely. I stopped her before she managed to color the entire cat.
February 25, 2009
Day 56
This thing was outside on a very wet, rainy day. It was huge! It was probably about 6" long. Really. I tried to get Lexa to hold it up for scale, but she wouldn't do it.
February 24, 2009
Day 55
More (lovely) threats of spring! 
February 23, 2009
Day 54
Spring keeps threatening to arrive here. At least the walk to lunch and back was pretty.
February 22, 2009
Day 53
I just noticed this. He's just hanging around in the bathroom. There is a towel bar way up on the side of the wall above the short side of the tub enclosure. I don't know who put him there, and nobody seems to know how he got there. So I think he must have just climbed up there himself. It's the only logical explanation, right?
February 21, 2009
Day 52
Lexa wanted to decorate her birthday cake for her party we were having for the family. We had fun - the family came up from Vancouver and we had dinner, cake, ice cream and toys! Lexa has gotten so spoiled this year!
February 20, 2009
Day 51
Scenes from the library. I like our neighborhood.
February 19, 2009
Day 50
Happy Birthday Lexa!!
February 18, 2009
Day 49
The wait is over! Chace got his blue belt!
February 17, 2009
Day 48
Lexa had her birthday party for her school friends at 321 Bounce this year. They all seemed to have a good time. Lexa loved all the gifts she received, and I even managed to get her to write thank you notes to everyone!
February 16, 2009
Day 47
I was really trying to take a photo of some of the fiber I was practicing with. Elmer refused to move, so I had to try to arrange them both as artfully as I could.
February 15, 2009
Day 46
Sleepy puppy.
February 14, 2009
Day 45
Believe it or not, but her cheeks really were this red.
February 13, 2009
Day 44
A nervous Chace at his belt test. He did good!
February 12, 2009
Day 43
Teenagers being teenagers here. I believe this one is known as "Guppy". Seriously.
February 11, 2009
Day 42
Kassie having fun at bath time.
February 10, 2009
Day 41
Meh.
February 09, 2009
Day 40
Harley, of course.
February 08, 2009
Day 39
This is my oldest daughter. Or it was, about 1 millisecond after I snapped the picture. She's quick.
February 07, 2009
Day 38
It's a day late for her 34 week photo, but here she is at 34 weeks and 1 day. Poor baby stepped on glass or something today while on a playdate with Cousin Greg's dog Maggie. Her foot started bleeding again when she started running around the house playing with the kids, and now we have bloody pawprints all over. She keeps ripping the sock off. *sigh*
February 06, 2009
Day 37
Self portrait in a dirty mirror.
February 05, 2009
Day 36
Introducing.... my first attempt at spinning on a wheel. It's a merino/silk blend from Zen String. It's not bad. It's not great, either. But I am pretty happy with how it turned out. There are some underspun areas in both the singles and the plying, but it could be worse.
And here it is a bit closer up:
Overall, not too terribly bad. I just need practice. And that means I need to go fiber shopping, lol. :-D
February 04, 2009
Day 35
Oh. My. Gosh. These fish do not take direction well. They totally would not pose nicely for me. Even Nani does a better job at portrait sitting.
February 03, 2009
Day 34
Skillz? Meh.
February 02, 2009
Day 33
"Quiet please! We need to concentrate to finish that urgent report!"
You have to know my former boss and his micromanagement stylings to understand why this sign had me laughing my butt off at work. It gets better. There's another sign. I hope to get a photo of that next week.
February 01, 2009
Day 32
I only took one photo this whole day. This is what you get. Not much, but it's a photo.
January 31, 2009
Day 31
I swear, this dark chocolate covered Altoid is smiling at me.
January 30, 2009
Day 30
Commercialism in Seattle.
January 29, 2009
Day 29
"...they headed north two hours ago." ~Sid the Sloth
January 28, 2009
Day 28
I have a Happy Post I have been meaning to write. This is related. But happiness? It is fibery stuff.
January 27, 2009
Day 27
$5 thrift store find. I love this purse.
January 26, 2009
Day 26
This is a view from work on a really pretty day.
Technical difficulties
02/05/09: I had some problems with my photo editing program that made my photos not show up on the blog. It's all fixed now and I will be posting the photos I have taken.
January 25, 2009
Day 25
It snowed off and on all day, but nothing stuck. I am glad, because if the kids have any more snow days this school year, they won't have summer vacation until August. Since it was cold and blustery, Nathan started up a fire in the fireplace. The kids decided to roast mini marshmallows on teeny sticks. They managed to do this without burning off their fingers, so I was impressed.
I folded laundry. I am still not done, but you can see my sofa again, so that is a nice change. It was fun to watch Nathan and the kids hang out by the fire and have fun. I have to go to work in the morning, so I should probably get to bed. I still have more laundry to get dried before tomorrow.
January 24, 2009
Day 24
Kassie's eye is looking much better. It is less swollen, but the purple is much darker. She has been getting sick of me documenting the various stages of her shiner, so I told her I would post a photo of her where you could see her smile, but not focus on the eye.
Bruises or not, she's still a beautiful girl to me!
January 23, 2009
Day 23 - Nani 32 Weeks
She wouldn't let me finish making my bed. She was too comfortable where she was.
January 22, 2009
Day 22
I got a call from the school nurse yesterday. Kassie got whacked in the face with a jump rope handle. They iced it, got her face cleaned up and let her go eat lunch. She was supposed to check back in with the nurse, but she felt fine - but a little embarrassed at the condition of her face. Here's a close up:
The swelling is better today, but the bruises are a bit darker.
January 20, 2009
Day 20
I call this "My Daily Chaos". You really don't want to see the rest of my desk.
January 19, 2009
Day 19
This was the only photo I managed to take today. I am too tired to try anything else. At least I love the subject matter. :-)
January 18, 2009
Day 18
I love this stove.
January 17, 2009
Day 17
The "fire spitting blue dragon" is eating her dad for dinner. I had taquitos.
January 16, 2009
Day 16 - Nani at 31 weeks
Well, today's photo also ingeniously doubles as Nani's 31 week photo. Is it laziness or 2 birds with one stone? We really don't need an answer to that, do we? Let's just call it a cute end to a craptacular week.
January 15, 2009
Day 15
I need lightbulbs for the kitchen. And a dustpan.
January 14, 2009
Day 14
Oh, how I love garter stitch. And wool. And wool with mohair.
Harley picked this jacket out when she was about 4 or 5. She chose the pattern and the yarn. And lucky her - Kassie and Lexa will get to wear it. The colors are perfect for Lexa. She has already claimed it.
January 13, 2009
Day 13
It's just yarn love. Pure and simple.
January 12, 2009
Day 12
Sometimes waiting for the bus home isn't so bad. Seattle has pretty bits.
January 11, 2009
Day 11
And because there was more to dinner than just that...
January 10, 2009
Day 10
Little Lex
January 08, 2009
Day 08
I keep my birdies f a t. The hummingbird feeder isn't visible from this window where I work, so no photos of that today. Besides, it is so hard to get photos of hummingbirds in winter around here.
I was going to post photos of my scarf progress, but...
I worked 3 extra hours today. Then there was the dead dog that is probably still out in front of our house. (I am so glad it wasn't Nani!) I ground up all kinds of pig, made "regular" and Italian sausage, and had 6 or so ziploc freezer bags of sausage and ground pork to put in the freezer. Then I washed dishes and wiped down counters. I even swept the floor a bit. My kitchen still looks like crap. Now I am tired and I just can't bring myself to do any of the other things I had planned for tonight.
I am going to bed now. I am pooped. Hopefully tomorrow I will have it together enough to get my knitting photos posted and blather a bit about what's been going on.
January 07, 2009
Day 07
Meh. But it beats the one of me in the rain, lol.
January 06, 2009
Day 06
I recently inherited a stash of straight knitting needles in a cool cylindrical case.
January 05, 2009
Day 05
Sometimes funny things happen when you are messing around and you end up liking the result. 
January 04, 2009
Day 04
Finally! Slightly less shy.
January 03, 2009
Day 03
Elmer was being shy and refusing to look at me no matter how hard I tried.
January 02, 2009
Day 02
Someone always moves a body part in the way at the last second...
January 01, 2009
Day 01
When we're not at home, Nani always decides to sleep in guard dog mode in front of the door.
A Photo A Day?
01/06/09: I was going to do that Project 365, where you take a photo every day. Due to some technical difficulties, I have been taking [crappy] photos, but have not been able to post them yet.
I don't think I am going to post them to the actual Project365 page even though I joined the Flickr group. I think I will just make it my own pet project to try to work toward. I may or may not make my goal, but I will at least try. And I might even try to participate in Macro Mondays, too (on my own, of course). Obviously, I missed the first Macro Monday of this year. Too much pressure takes the fun out of it.
I think I am not going to try to stress too much about the quality of the photos. This is a good thing since I don't often have the presence of mind to do much more than put my beloved camera in Auto mode and snap away. I suppose it is just more to keep myself practicing - paying attention to lighting (or not) and composition. Really, all I am looking forward to is having a day by day record of my life in the year 2009.
Well, I think my tech issues are fixed, so I will post the first 5 photos for this year.
February 20, 2008
30 Days of the Everyday - 10
While everybody was getting excited over today's eclipse, I was facing the wrong direction, as usual. Looking back on my day, the eclipse was pretty neat to look at, but I was really taken by the moon setting this morning over the Olympic Mountains in the west. It was about 6:45 am, and I had just returned from dropping Mr Midgeling off at the bus stop. I got out of the car and noticed how quickly the moon was dropping in the sky, and how the large orange ball was turning to a pale yellow. The city was quiet, and nobody was yet running their cars into each other on I-405 down the way.
Everybody was able to get cool hi-res photos of the eclipse. But not everybody was able to get a quick, sleepy-eyed photo of that same moon 12 hours earlier as it was setting over the Olympics - all while trying to find a good vantage point between power lines before the moon lost all of the deep orange glow. That was my job.
January 28, 2008
30 Days of the Everyday - 9
Here is our family dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory. I kind of liked the yellow light. We had fun and ate a lot of pasta. I don't know what else to say. It's just another off day for me, I guess.
January 20, 2008
30 Days of the Everyday - 8
Photo taken with a T-Mobile Dash.
International District - Just another Sunday night in Seattle. We had a great dinner at Shanghai Garden (the family's favorite Chinese restaurant) . We were walking back to the car and I was noticing how pretty the bus station tunnel was with all the lights shining so brightly against the skyline. The camera on my phone doesn't do it justice. The lights all sort of blur together and the colors are a bit washed out compared to the real thing. I love this city. I really do.
January 19, 2008
30 Days of the Everyday - 7
Photo taken with a T-Mobile Dash.
My sisters and Mom flew in earlier today. We had Pho for lunch, then went to the Great Wall Shopping Mall. They have a Ranch 99 Market there. We always go to Ranch 99 as soon as my sister arrives because she must get some strawberry cake. Because that's just how it is. Just outside the market, we saw a shopping cart full of pigs. No, not misbehaving children, actual pigs. (This is one of the reasons I have never been able to bring myself to buy any kind of beef or pork from that market.)
The last time we saw the pigs hanging about the market, they were back in the bakery section on a wooden pallet. It's good to see they know how to change it up a bit.
January 18, 2008
30 Days of the Everyday - 6
There was no entry for yesterday. I had intended for this to be 30 consecutive days, but because of issues with my back, that didn't happen. I ended up at the doc because the stupid back pain got to me and I just couldnt deal with it any longer without help. But that's another story for another time.
Weebug and I finally got to hang out tonight. It had been far too long because of conflicting schedules. After doctors appointments and school and picking up kids, I made it up to her house. She made me homemade mac and cheese - just as I requested. It was gooooood. We even finally got to exchange Christmas gifts! (photos to be posted later)
So here are the youngest girls, all sitting and taking over the Knitting Couch as soon as Marti and I got up. The Little Mermaid was on, so they were fixated on the TV. Shannon looks so good in green, doesn't she? And you can't really see, but she has on the coolest penguin pajama pants. This is pretty much how it looks when we get together. Kids all over, knitting stuff all over and some much needed chillin out. I just love how our kids all are more like siblings or cousins than just friends. They even bicker like siblings at times, too. LOL!
I needed tonight. I got to hang out, watch the kids play and just spend some quality knitting time together. My mom, sister and brother's ex fly in tomorrow afternoon. It ought to be fun. I love getting to do the typical touristy Seattle stuff that I tend to take for granted day to day.
January 16, 2008
30 Days of the Everyday - 5
This is our Wednesday. HK gets out of school at 2:08. I pick her up and we stop off at Starbucks for a snack before she goes next door for her guitar lesson. Occasionally, we get lunch first - either Pho or Teriyaki, since my favorite cheap sushi place closed down. From 3:30 to 4:00 pm, I have some knitting time while Lexa bounces around the car listening to XM Kids radio.
I kind of like this photo. It almost gives the impression that my car is clean.
January 15, 2008
30 Days of the Everyday - 4
Harley has been bugging me for a couple of weeks to get her hair cut. It always amazes me to see the dark little curls falling to the floor, then see the cute, bouncy 14 year old hopping out of the chair. Her hair turned out really cute. It's the kind of cut that looks good on her whether she straightens it or leaves it curly. And by the way, she's the only one of my 4 children who has curly hair. Just like my sister Laura is the only one of my mom's 5 kids with curls.
But not to be outdone, Lexa decided she needed a haircut also. She is now sporting the cutest Katie Holmes bob, lol.
January 14, 2008
30 Days of the Everyday - 3
Lexa is busy reading books while wearing her favorite princess jammies. She'll be 5 next month. It's hard to believe my baby is that old already. She's been so much fun these days. The other day I heard her telling her stuffed dog Poodlie "Hypothetically, if we do it like this, then what happens is..." What kind of 4 year old uses 'hypothetically' correctly in a conversation with a stuffed animal?
My photo quality has been marginal these days. You know how sometimes when your life is running a bit rough your artistic endeavors tend to follow the trend? Yup. That's me. Right here. But like everything else, it will get better.
January 13, 2008
30 Days of the Everyday - 2
Weebug was supposed to come over today, but once again, I sort of had things goofed up. I didn't realize that HK had already committed to an afternoon at church, and that day was today. She had told me about it before, but it didn't click that since I had no car and was stuck at home all day Saturday, her day would be today.
We even had dessert picked out. And a vegetarian dinner alternative for Fee. *sigh* But on the bright side, we rescheduled for this Friday after work/school.
So here is Kass enjoying the Lemon Crunch Cake that she picked out. We will have to have her pick out another dessert to take with us on Friday evening.
January 12, 2008
30 Days of the Everyday
The Sweater Song
30 Days of the Everyday
I thought it would be a good idea. I threw my back out - it started a while ago when I fell down the last several stairs from my bedroom. And that darn Black Dog has been gnawing on my toes again. My sleep habits are all kinds of messed up. I am not done with my Christmas in part because one of the lovely things my back is doing is sending shooting pains and occasional numbness from between my shoulder blades into my left arm. Makes for some unpleasant knitting.
If I just start by documenting the little things in everyday life that make up my existence, then maybe I can work my way back into having some normalcy and decent quality of life. I am trying to stay positive. Overall, I have much to be thankful for - and I am. The funk will pass.
December 20, 2007
Christmas is Coming Way Too Soon!
I am so not ready for it.
moar funny pictures
December 05, 2007
And Some MORE Christmas Knitting!
So this is how WA ushered in the month of December. I celebrated by getting that stupid cold again. The snow was unfortunately short-lived, but we got plenty of rain the following few days. One high school was even closed because of some flooding.
I finished another pair of Lobster mitts. I had to rip out one of the mitts and reknit part of it. The pattern is correct, but some of the numbers are split among 2 lines, so I didn't see that numbers for the larger size were continued on the line below. *sigh* my fault for not reading carefully enough.
I have a couple of finished hats to post as well. Hopefully I will get to those tomorrow - the camera battery is busy charging tonight, so I can't get them all done now. Darn it, I am tired and in serious need of a shower. My weeks have been so busy with all the kid stuff! Hopefully things will get better soon.
August 25, 2007
Um, What?
Pretty sunset this evening, wasn't it? I snapped this photo just in time. In the time it took me to change lenses to the telephoto, ithe pink in the clouds was gone.
Oh, and earlier today, Harley and I went to the grocery store. When we returned home, we found Kassie and Lexa in the yard picking dandelions. Kassie was wearing her pink princess bathing suit. Darling Lexa was wearing nothing but a Costco-sized Tostitos corn chip bag. I asked her if Daddy knew she was wearing an empty chip bag. She told me he did. I told her to get in the house and put her clothes back on.
Mommy: Are you aware that your youngest daughter is in the front yard wearing nothing but a Tostitos bag?
Daddy: Yeah.
Mommy: And you didn't see anything wrong with that?
Daddy: No, she's dressed.
Mommy: In a TOSTITOS BAG.
Daddy: She came in and said her bathing suit was wet and she had to take it off, but she wasn't allowed to be outside naked. So she grabbed the bag and put it on. Then she ran outside.
I so wish I had been able to get a picture of her in the bag.
June 30, 2007
First Daisy
Here's the first daisy to bloom in my yard this summer. It actually bloomed on Wednesday, June 27, but I had a raging migraine and it was all I could do to get my butt outside and take the photo. I took some Axert and stayed in bed the rest of the night. Thursday was like having a hangover without the blazing drunken night before, and Friday left me feeling much, much better, but still a little groggy.
Today is Saturday. I finished Nathan's birthday socks. He tried them on. They are too tight. 
So I started him another pair with 8 more stitches around. See what I get for actually trying to follow a pattern? It gets all mucked up.
So let's pretend right here I rant about how I am sick of spoiled children who act like they are entitled to walk all over everyone. Let's just say how sometimes I wish my oldest daughter had it in her to be a bitch right back instead of always taking the high road. (But secretly I am really proud of her for being herself and actually taking that high road as often as she does.)
But anyway - it's Saturday night and I have a camera, yarn and needles and a diet rootbeer float calling for me. And a cute but nerdy guy playing Warfcrack upstairs. Time to put the kids to bed.
June 09, 2007
It's The Little Things
I forgot my camera at Aunt Anne's a couple of weeks ago. I finally picked it up yesterday and had to take some photos. It had been too long. I hadn't realized how much I enjoyed taking pictures of things, even if the subject matter wasn't anything of importance. I really missed my camera.
February 23, 2007
Spring and Other Things
Spring seems to be arriving. The camellia tree is in bloom. Yes, I realize most people think of them as bushes, but since ours has got to be at least 20 feet tall, I would say that qualifies as a tree in my book. It's a tree, folks, really it is.
Oh, and did you know I am a glutton for punishment? Yeah. I really am. I am currently knitting the Twist and Lace Scarf. It is in Cherry Tree Hill Sock (Supersock? I can't remember.), colorway Misty Moor. This has to be one of my favorite colorways. Ever. Really.
Oh, and what is the problem? Well, I got gauge using US #1 needles. I have one skein of this yarn. ONE. Uno. Eins. Ichi. The scarf is maybe about 14" long so far. And I have 50 grams left. That is a bit less than half the skein.
So you know what I am going to do? Yup. I am going to rip it out. Why? because I am going to say "Screw gauge, this obviously isn't working and I need to use bigger needles and maybe do fewer short rows so it is slightly less ruffly so it eats less yarn so I can get a bit longer of a scarf." (Yes, a bit of a mouthful, but that's what I said.) Why didn't I start ripping when I suspected the size weirdness 40 grams ago? Because I second-guessed myself and assumed I was wrong. I have been knitting for 11+ years. You would think I would learn by now. Things like "not enough yarn for the project" generally don't work themselves out if you knit for 6 more hours. Nope. Glutton. For. Punishment. That's me!
Thank God Miss V extended the Sock Marathon deadline. Kisses to Miss Lime and Miss Violet.
January 25, 2007
A Dozen Days - Month 1, Photo 7
Here is the newly remodeled Fairwood Library in Renton. The Fairwood Library is part of the King County Public Library System, and the KCLS kicks some serious ass. It has damn near every book, audiobood, CD or movie you could ever want. And if they don't have it, they will try to get it for you. You can browse the catalog, place holds, and even pay fines online. Every branch has free wireless. And in summer when it is 90 degrees and 90% humidity, they have AIR CONDITIONING and places for the kids to play with toys, read and play computer games. I love that place.
From 1999 to 2006, the Seattle Public Library System has paid KCLS $104,000 annually to cover cross-use of KCLS materials. If a Seattle resident needed something from KCLS, KCLS would send it to a Seattle library for the patron to check out. A study done in 2005 showed that about $1 million in services were actually being used by the city of Seattle. KCLS was initially set up to serve the people of King County who were not granted access to the Seattly Public Library Syste. So understandably, KCLS has discontinued cross-use with the Seattle Public Library System until a more fair solution could be reached.
I love the city of Seattle. It has so much to offer. But I would never live there. Between King County Fascist Exec Ron Sims (aka King Sims), the battle over the Seattle Supersonics (probably) leaving, how to best replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct and the rapidly declining Seattle Public School system, I have no desire to move into the Seattle city limits at all. It's the burbs for me and my family.
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Lexa's Preschool phrase of the day: "I am 4 1/2 inches tall! Besides, I am 3 years old."
January 24, 2007
A Dozen Days - Month 1, Photo 6
Here's Harley. She's roundhouse kicking her little brother. For the last 2 years, our lives have been pretty heavily dedicated to Harley and her love of sport Taekwondo. She's naturally athletic. She loves TKD and learns pretty quick. Her coach is currently the National Heavyweight Silver Medalist and the husband of one of my best friends. He has taught her all the skills to be a truly great athlete and she has the physical capabilities, but now she just needs to work on the part where she believes in herself enough to win consistently. The funny thing is that Harley fights best when she is scared of her opponent. This comes in handy because at 5 feet tall and in the heavyweight division, pretty much everyone is at least 6 inches taller than her.
TKD sort of goes dead over the holidays, but in January, the tournaments start back up. This is a great girl right now, and will be a great woman one day. She has a lot of the courage and strength I wish I had at her age. She has her moments when she is still a scared little girl inside (as she has every right to be), but Harley sometimes underestimates her inner strength. I hope she knows how proud we are of her.
January 23, 2007
A Dozen Days - Month 1, Photo 5
There really is no deep and thoughtful sentiment for me here in this photo. I just liked how it turned out. Well, I suppose there is the reminder that I need to find that stupid duster and get busy again.
January 21, 2007
A Dozen Days - Month 1, Photo 4
This is another shot of my cousin Janice's house. It is like a little Japanese garden. Even covered in snow, it looks quiet and peaceful and pretty. It's not exactly in the front yard, and not quite in the back yard, and not quite ennclosed. It is sort of in the center - I suppose that makes it an atrium.
I was totally loving the snow in Denver. There were mounds and mounds of it all over. I suppose what added to its appeal is that I don't have to deal with it all winter. I have always loved the snow. We never had any in Southern California, and not enough of it in New Mexico. And here in the Seattle Metro area, I still don't think we get enough of this fluffy, frozen white goodness. But what we did get shut the city down for days on end.
I think what appealed to me most about this garden is that it is a little hidden oasis. You can only really see it from the inside of the house. I know in summers I would spend a lot of time in a place like that. Ever since I was little, I have always had a thing for hidden areas and secret places. I really wish I had one of those now. January has been such a busy month for me. I spent almost all of December sick, so January has been spent trying to catch up with what life keeps throwing me. When I get overloaded, I go hide.
Right now I don't have a nice little secret place to hide. The family has figured me out. When I need to escape, I go down to the basement and knit amongst the piles of dirty laundry. I am usually too congested to smell anything that may be less than fresh. Between my ipod, the washer and the dryer, I can't hear the main floor chaos of the children, dishwasher, husband, World of Warcraft or television.
For years now, I have been wanting my own little space where I can go escape for a brief moment to enjoy the peace and solitude. One Day I will have it. One Day....
January 17, 2007
A Dozen Days - Month 1, Photo 3
Here are my two youngest. Here they are hugging and making up. They had been bickering and fighting. There was a little hair pulling and kicking involved, and things got a bit ugly. One of the things I make them do when they fight is apologize and give each other hugs and kisses.
Sometimes - as was the case tonight - the making up even gets ugly:
* Sister A leans in for the kiss and the hug, but her attempts are thwarted by Sister B.
* Sister A gets angry and tries harder while Sister B scowls and screams "Noooooooo!" while violently pushing Sister A away.
* Mom hollers "You two make up or you both go to bed with no dinner!"
* Sister A says she is sorry for kicking/hitting/pulling hair/calling names and gets the kiss and hug.
This process is then repeated with Sister B making her apology. This loud and lengthy process results in the above photo.
January 10, 2007
A Dozen Days - Month 1, Photo 2
It is snowing again. We are in the middle of another storm. There's not near as much snow this time as we got last month, but it is prettier now. Even though it is so pretty out, I am feeling a bit melancholy tonight. I had to go into work today. As I was leaving to go have lunch for a co-worker's birthday, I ran into someone I hadn't seen in a while. I can't remember his name, but he is the father of a little girl that I love so much.
Her name is Mariah. She is a sweet blonde haired, blue eyed 5 year old. Mariah went to preschool with Kassie and Lexa a while back. Her dad is a single parent who works hard, but still has to depend on welfare to provide for his 2 kids. Mariah's mother is an unknown to me - she has a substance abuse problem and is no longer in her children's lives. When I would drop off and pick up my girls, I would always spend a little time with Mariah, even if only long enough to get some quick hugs and kisses. Even after I stopped sending my girls to that school, I would often drop by to bring snacks or treats and spend time with Mariah while Harley and Chace were next door taking their taekwondo classes. One day she hugged and kissed me as she sat in my lap, smiled a beautiful smile at me and said "I wish you were my mommy and I could live with you." I got teary eyed and said that I would love that, but that she had a daddy that loved her and would miss her so much if she were gone. And it was all the honest truth.
As I stopped this man in the hospital doorway today, I told him who I was and asked about Mariah. He told me that she was currently in foster care because he had been hospitalized for almost a month with some kind of spinal infection. He had no one to care for his kids. He said they were doing well and going to school in Tacoma. I was stunned and somewhat speechless. I told Mariah's daddy that I was glad to see that he was better and I would keep them all in my prayers.
But there is this sick ache in my heart and in my stomach that hurts for her. She has gone through so much in her 5 short years of life. I wish I could be the one to provide her with a stable home and a ton of love. I honestly have no idea why I became so attached to her 2 years ago. Sometimes in life there are people you have an unexplainable bond with. I know that somehow we are connected but I don't know how. I just pray that her father can get back on his feet and get his family back. I pray that no matter what happens, Mariah is able to live a happy life.
January 09, 2007
A Dozen Days - Month 1, Photo 1
Socks That Rock lightweight in colorway Henpecked. 8.5 sts per inch. This photo was actually cropped from a much larger image. I really love playing with my different lenses. The stock lens is icky and never seems to help capture the lighting and mood as well as the telephoto and the macro lenses do. I would really like a better quality "all-purpose" lens. A wide angle would be nice...
Anyway, this sock is the one I have been referring to as the "Broadripple Inspired Sock". I have knit and frogged this thing at least twice that I remember. The first time was because even though I was getting gauge, the sock was way too large. The second time was because of the Evil Toe Eyes. The fabric that this yarn knits up into is so nice and soft and squishy and pretty that I don't really mind having re-knit it so many times. I am one of those process knitters that many do not understand. I usually don't mind frogging and knitting, because I just enjoy the knitting more than anything. I usually give away most of the things that I knit. I suppose if I had made any New Year's resolutions, one would be to knit more things to keep for myself.
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Lexa's Preschool phrase of the day: "I want peanut butter and honey because chalupas are not ignoring."
A Dozen Days - My Version
"The pictures should express the meaning of the month to you."
All of these photos will be about things that are in the forefront of my life this month. I doubt any of it will be deep and philosophical. I am expecting these dozen photos to just capture moments of my life as they happen. As I move around doing my daily things - driving kids around, shopping, knitting or working - I try to pay attention to my surroundings. I like to notice little things like how the two mini-manhole covers on S 7th Street ended up looking like a figure-8 after the utility workers painted around them with tar. I like to look at the trees that have lost all their leaves for the winter, because now you can see all the bird's nests. I like little things like that. Maybe I will get some good photos of some of these mundane but eye-catching bits of my life