Baby Surprise Jacket- Finished!

I finished it! Works for Ravelry's HPKCHC also, and sooo easy! I can't believe with only 3 stitches, and some creative folding, you get a totally cute sweater! Here's a pic:

Hope my sister likes it...

Progress on the BSJ

I'm almost finished with the decreases- 2 more rows. Love how this color is coming out, and I think it'll be fine for either gender....

Baby Surprise Jacket Knitalong

Or practicing the fine art of knitting.....

I decided to join Elizabeth Foss's BSJ KAL. Pics to follow, but I'm already on row 11!

Trying Again to Remember....

The days go by in whirlwind fashion. I love Soulemama's Friday {This Moment} posts. Here's our moment for the week, even though it's Monday.

For a long time now, we've had family language that has included 'hammagas' and 'fwamps'. Smallest Cubkid just figured out the origin:

The worried expression on his face is priceless, along with his outraged outbursts, "Mama! Guess what they did now!"

Happiness is...

a mugful of hot tea, a warm fire, satifying knitting, and watching 8 inches of snow falling, with more in the forecast.

Small Successes #2

Well, yesterday was another one-of-those-days. Life is running at hamster speed at the moment, and I feel like I'm running, running, running in that little wheel, and getting nowhere. So to celebrate the small successes of a week:

1. Oldest Cubkid is home again. This entailed 400 miles of driving, and organizing over the phone, if the pickup time would be early enough to allow me to continue to run the usual insanity at home. Thanks to a good friend for picking up one ball (kid) and delivering him, we got it done.

2. Oldest Cubkid is on her way to being organized into a summer job and lots of scholarship applications. At least I have thrown all the information at her, and it's out of my brain. This is a good thing, since my brain is failing me at the moment.

3. I actually managed to get 3 out of 6 tax forms electronically filed, and the other 3 finished to be mailed. And it's still January. This was driven by the need to get them finished to get the FAFSA filled out. Which is the next small success.

4. I got the FAFSA filled out, which for the life of me I can't figure out what the big deal with it is. It's not nearly as bad as doing the taxes. You just have to have the paperwork handy to pull the numbers. And I'd done the PIN numbers early.

5. For once in my life, I've been slightly ahead of the game with getting all the paperwork finished to actually launch this Oldest Cubkid successfully.

6. The best for last- she felt that we had adequately prepared her for college from an academic perspective. This is always the sword hanging over my head- am I doing enough, am I going to compromise these kids because they're not in school, are they going to be prepared... And she said other than providing her with a couple of resources, and potentially writing one more long research paper, she was in good shape. So I guess I can breathe again.

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY
January 16, 2010

Outside my window... snow is melting, and it's warmer than it's been. Mud everywhere, and heavy fog rolling in.

I am thinking... that I'm looking forward to watching Agatha Christie tonight with dh.

I am thankful for... lots of things. Opportunities for Oldest Cubkid, a new kitchen. Laundry caught up.

From the learning rooms... I'm contemplating a need to return to my Charlotte Mason roots. I forget, and get too far afield, and the kids and I are all miserable.

From the kitchen... the sound of boys making calzones. I don't know why they're showing such interest in cooking/baking at the moment, but it works for me!

I am wearing... grubby shirt, yoga pants, and handknit socks.

I am creating... more socks, and order in my house.

I am going... to regret letting my kids go to the lock-in tomorrow night. They don't sleep, we lose all of Monday, and we have some obligations in the afternoon.

I am reading... A Charlotte Mason Companion. Again.

I am hoping... to find some measure of peace in the midst of all the chaos.

I am hearing... boys discussing the best way to fold calzones, and older dd playing hymns on the piano.

Around the house... there are open spaces, due to the Christmas stuff being put away. Paint is going up in the kitchen, and that's a good thing.

One of my favorite things... is sitting by the fire and knitting.

A few plans for the rest of the week: the Lock-In tomorrow night, and reorganizing school.

Find more entries at Peggy's blog:

http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

Small Successes #1

We seem to be measuring our days with the yardstick of 'what isn't getting done.' I've been quite frustrated and discouraged with this, so I thought I'd borrow a page from Danielle Bean's 'Small Successes'. We have so much that is in an unfinished state, that I thought I'd try to write down what did get accomplished.

Our successes for today include:

1. Taking down the rest of the Christmas decorations.

2. Boys making calzones in the kitchen.

3. Catching up the laundry downstairs. Folding all the clean, and shipping it off to its respective rooms.

4. Getting stuff picked up a bit in the hall, and on the landing/mudroom area. (If we had a mudroom...)

5. Priming some of the green, green walls in the kitchen, to try to calm the color down. It's taking at least 2 coats of high-hiding primer, and we're hoping that the new color will cover a multitude of ills.

6. Sorting paperwork/knitting patterns, to try to tame the paper tiger.

So we have accomplished a bit. I have these days where I feel I do nothing but spin my wheels. All hail the small successes.

We've Run Away

To the beach again. It's that time of the year. One of the beauties of homeschooling is that we can go on vacation during the off season, when it's still warm and beautiful. We have an awesome house, with the surf right out the back door, and space and time to play.

The kids are involved in a raucous game of Apples to Apples. What a blessing that Smallest Cubkid is reading now, and can join in rather enthusiastically. They're definitely raising the roof and having a good time.

Time. How I need a good dose of relaxing time. It has been a tough year.

There's Been a Mutiny

Apparently my children don't like squash. Summer squash to be specific. It was most impressive tonight, when I served the offending vegetable. Every single one of them lined up on the opposite side of the table, and flat-out refused to eat any. Even the enticement of ice cream afterward was barely enough to make them take a bite. Interesting. I think I see a new potential threat.

What's This? A Blog?

Methinks I need to update a little more often than every 5 months. But what busy months they've been.

We're in the thick of 4H and home re-organization. Why? Since you need to add to your normal stress by reorganizing things at home. We've been to the State Fair twice this week, and go back twice more. And construct the fairbooth for our county fair in the midst. I think I need a nap.

The Simple Woman's Daybook, March 2, 2009

FOR TODAY March 2, 2009...

Outside my window...
Bitterly cold, and light snow blowing

I am thinking...
that I'm tired. It's been a long day filled with 4H stuff.

I am thankful for...
Opportunities my kids have to learn important skills.

From the learning rooms...
Not much today. That frustrates me.

From the kitchen...
Dinner the 15yo made tonight, including a veg, without parental assistance. I'm finally reaping the fruits of all those long, tedious years of allowing the kids to help in the kitchen!

I am wearing...
Jeans, my favorite turtleneck, and my favorite flannel shirt. Probably the same thing as last Monday!

I am creating...
socks. Knitted socks in wonderful, fun colors.

I am going...
Crazy? Does that count? To bed? Or to town tomorrow, with the Oldest CubKid for her reenacting.

I am reading...
Lots of 4H paperwork, Language Logic still, and blogs on organization.

I am hoping...
I can figure out why I'm not sleeping well lately.

I am hearing...
The dishwasher being loaded grudgingly, and the sewing machine running frantically, as Oldest Cubkid prepares for tomorrow.

Around the house...
Just trying to keep it together.

One of my favorite things...
My minivan. Never thought I'd say that. But it gets us to and fro in a practical way, with all the kids and their gear.

A few plans for the rest of the week...
Reenacting tomorrow, schoolwork, looking for a piano.

Here is picture thought I am sharing... Outside the winter window, my favorite bird.

Please visit Peggy's website for all the Daybook links: www.thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com!

The Simple Woman's Daybook, February 23, 2009

FOR TODAY...

Outside my window...
Bright sun, and a dusting of snow, and cold!

I am thinking...
that I need to redirect a few kids toward schoolwork.

I am thankful for...
firewood, hot tea, and nothing scheduled outside the house today.

From the learning rooms...
Journey North class, Math, and trying to figure out what
needs to be finished up in the next 10 weeks

From the kitchen...
Not sure today. We've had a run of soups lately.
Might be time for something more solid.

I am wearing...
Jeans, a favorite turtleneck, and my softest,
most favorite flannel shirt.

I am creating...
A more peaceful place to learn and live.

I am going...
to run a few errands later.

I am reading...
The Gentle Art of Domesticity by Jane Brocket.
Love the colors!

I am hoping...
that we make forward progress today.
It's been a frazzled weekend.

I am hearing...
the fire popping, George Winston playing in the background,
and sick kids still coughing.

Around the house...
It's cleaner! More open spaces.

Two of my favorite things...
my tea mugs from Salmon Falls Pottery,
and my flannel shirt.

A few plans for the rest of the week:
Wrap up some paperwork that needs to be tended,
grocery shopping at some point, and
school, always school.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing...
Can't get it to behave! ARGH! I will conquer this thing.....

Be sure to visit Peggy at thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com for more daybooks!

Because I probably should...

Update the blog occasionally. It's been a long week. It's been a long month. It's been a long year so far! We are getting good school done, except for the latest blip on the radar of 3 sick kids. We have a lot of activities going right now, including lots of good musical stuff for the Oldest CubKid. But I'm tired of snow and cold. I'm ready to move into Spring.

I've been crocheting a brightly colored bag lately, to hold my sock yarn, etc. I needed the color fix, I think. I should finish it tomorrow, then need to decide if I'm going to line it or not. I got the idea from a blog I found, Attic24. Love Lucy's pics, and I'm jealous of her view from her attic in the Yorkshire Dales. Wish I was there....

Anyway. I'm going to try to figure out how to play with some of the other blogs out there. I like the Simple Woman's Daybook idea, and also the uncluttering one. Boy do we need that about now. If I could just figure out how to clone myself, one of me could school the kids, while the other one cleans the house. Oh, wait. That would be the fundamental problem with my life, wouldn't it? There's only 1 of me.

Cute Cousins!

Because I've figured out how to upload images now...

Aren't they the cutest?

A couple of funnies

Since Smallest Cubkid is the best for funnies-

On the way home from Maine, we stayed at a hotel in PA. Since he's the smallest, his bed consisted of 2 armchairs, a pillow, and a blanket. In the morning, he popped his head over the side of the arm, and looks at me, and in a plaintive voice says, "Mommy, this bed is no good. It keeps hatching!". And indeed it did- the chairs kept separating in the middle, and he was in danger of dropping out.

And the other one was just this week, in the midst of plowing through the weekly grind of schoolwork, he was muddling through his phonics book, and sadly looks at me and says, "Mommy, I can't do this any more. My brain is falling apart!" Poor guy- the room erupted in gales of laughter at his expense!



A picture of him, hard at work, holding his brain together!

Freezing to death!

Brrr! In the last few days, the temps have plummeted, and the snow has fallen, and we finally hit double digits for the temperature this morning. And we have about a foot of snow. Unfortunately for my kidlets, it's just tooooo cooooold to sled for very long. We concluded this morning that it takes longer to get dressed in all the gear than they can stand to be out. On the flip side, our Christmas tree has never looked better.


Where, oh where, is my warm beach?

Sitting on the Dock of the Bay

Watching the tide roll away...

My apologies to Otis Redding, and we're not sitting on a dock, but a deck, in the Outer Banks. The kids and I came down last week and hung out in Duck, NC for the nor'easter that blew through. It was really cool to see it- lots of wind and rain, storm overwash on the roads, and the roads completely covered with sea water in spots. It was particularly bad in Kitty Hawk.

This week, we're back on Avon, our little town we like so well. We have a different house this time, since ours wasn't available the week we wanted to come down. It's a couple of streets over, has direct beach access, and we can also swim in the pool. I'm here with a friend and her 3 kids, so we're definitely a crowd. I also wrangled a deal, and she's doing the cooking all week, so I'm free as a bird. Nothing to do but contemplate the sand and sea, and look for the next photo op.

The disparity between this life and my real one is quite a shock to the system!

Mi Vida Loca

My wild and crazy life! We've taken an interesting turn. My mom had booked herself on a cruise some time ago, and was having trouble finding someone to go with her. A couple of weeks ago, she made an offhand comment to me that it was too bad I couldn't go, since we travel so well together. Well, I talked to The Lion King, and the upshot is I'm in London, heading for Dover, and then the Baltic Sea. The cruise covers the Baltic capitals. We've only ever been to Copenhagen, so I'm really looking forward to seeing the other sites, particularly Tallinn and St. Petersburg. How cool with that be? I am also going to particularly enjoy not having to distill the information I'm learning and reteach it. This is an information-for-me-only trip! I'm hoping to also go home with a good plan for the next schoolyear. I have no idea how this is going to go, not having ever been on a cruise before.

Shamelessly borrowed from a friend's blog

You know you're from Ohio if...

1. You don't think of Florida first when someone mentions Miami.
   
2. You snicker when someone's from Tiffin, because you think of the State Hospital.
   
3. You think Pro football teams are supposed to wear orange!
   
4. Schools close for the state basketball tournament. Deer season, too.
   
5. You're proud of your state fair, but would rather go to Cedar Point.
   
6. You know all the 4 seasons: Winter, Still Winter, Almost Winter, and Construction.
   
7. You live less than 30 miles from some college or university.
   
8. You know what a buckeye really is, and have a recipe for candy ones.
   
9. "Toward the lake" means "north" and "toward the river" means "south."
   
10. You know if other Ohioians are from southern or northern Ohio as soon as they open their mouths.
    
11. You root for a college team though you've never taken a class there.
    
12. You can spell words like Cuyahoga, Olentangy, Bellefontaine, Tuscarawas, Wapakoneta and you know which letter is doubled in "Cincinnati."
    
13. You always visit more than two amusement parks in one summer.
    
14. You know that Serpent Mounds were not made by snakes.
    
15. You know what game they're playing when the Mud Hens take on the Clippers.
    
16. "Vacation" means spending a day at Cedar Point or King's Island.
    
17. You measure distance in minutes.
    
18. Down south to you means Kentucky.
    
19. Your school classes were canceled because of cold.
    
20. Your school classes were canceled because of heat.
    
21. You've ridden the school bus for an hour each way.
    
22. You've ever had to switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day.
    
23. You know what's knee-high by the Fourth of July.
    
24. You end your sentences with an unnecessary preposition. Example: "Where's my coat at?"
    
25. You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked.
    
26. You think of the major four food groups as beef, pork, beer, and Jell-O salad with marshmallows.
    
27. You carry jumper cables in your car.
    
28. You know what pop is.
    
29. You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.
    
30. Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow.
    
31. You think sexy lingerie is tube socks and a flannel nightie.
    
32. The local paper covers national and international headlines on one page but requires 6 pages for sports.
    
33. You think that deer season is a national holiday.
    
34. You thought that the Phil Dirt and the Dozers was the most popular band in the country.
    
35. You actually understand these jokes then forward 'em to all your OH friends!!