Fits like a glove... but it's a sock.

After the multiple distractions of samples for the yarn store, I finally finished sock #1 of my mystery socks.

As I have said before, I think I would like the finished product better in a more solid colored yarn, but that isn't what I used and I do love this yarn anyway.

And because I was done with one sock and one sleeve, I obviously deserved to cash in my chips at the store and take my yarn that I get in trade for the samples. More distractions!

Now the question is: More selfish projects, or do I actually make things for others for the holidays?

All the good news

While it has been an exhausting couple of weeks, they haven't been too bad. I managed to sell all but one of the pies I needed to sell for Dorian's fundraiser. I can handle buying one for myself, but I was getting a little concerned when I thought I might have to buy 5.
I had a meeting with the principal about Sebastian's schooling and only got good news about how he is doing this year and we were in agreement that he is getting what he needs, so that's nice.
I made the best batch of whole grain chippers yet yesterday, and in a completely neighborly way. I realized too late that Jeremy used the last of the eggs for breakfast, and as I was walking with the boys to buy some more eggs, we ran into some neighbors who offered us the egg we needed for our recipe. And then we returned the favor by bringing them some of the goodies. Makes you want to gag, doesn't it?

And I finished this little guy:

Scampy the ram, named by Sebastian, loved by all who meet him. He'll be living at Knit or Dye, if you'd like to visit him. This is what he looked like before he took his trip through the washer:

And now I have 2 days of work, a field trip, and an in-service day (no school Wednesday) to look forward to.

Today was one of those days...

... where I actually felt like I was doing something right. It is easy for me to get bogged down in the little dumb stuff in life and parenting. And it is even easier to get bogged down in the big dumb stuff. For example, I am happy that the kids have been much better behaved since I pitched a fit last Thursday, but I don't feel particularly good that I frightened them by threatening to leave them on the side of the road. I know that I don't always make the best choices or do the perfect thing, and that is really hard for me to accept so I have a tendency to beat myself up a little.

But there are days where I just want to cry because I think my kids are so goddamn lucky to lead the life they do. (Crazy mother and all.) And today was one of those days.

Crazy mother went out with several other crazy mothers last night, and when I say went out, I mean until last call. So I wasn't home until midnight and didn't go to sleep until later than that and woke up as tired as when my head hit the pillow. But I got some pants on and went and picked up Amanda and her boys and we all headed up to Putney to go to the orchard there. The plums weren't ripe, but there were blueberries, so Amanda and I picked nearly a gallon apiece while the kids played amongst the bushes in the glorious sunshine.

And after a quick return to the farm stand for an urgent bathroom visit (inevitable with 4 kids in tow) we put the kids in 2 wagons to go look for the reindeer. We didn't see them, but the kids were enjoying the wagon ride and I thought that Sebastian and Riley would probably have more fun (and I wouldn't hurt my back so much) if they tried to ride the wagon down the hill by themselves. And so Sebastian was the Hobbes to Riley's Calvin. And they loved it! And all I could think was that this was what summer should be-- riding in a red wagon down a dirt track amidst a beautiful orchard in this beautiful state that we are fortunate enough to call home. What more could these kids ask for than 2 mamas who love them enough to take them to an orchard to run and play and crash a wagon into a fence while the mamas pick berries for jam to enjoy all winter? Will they think of today when they eat a piece of toast with jam 3 months from now? Will I remember to? Who knows? But it is very nice to be able to appreciate these times as they happen. And now I sound too much like a certain other blogger who tends toward the sappy and often makes me gag a little but takes very pretty pictures, so I will leave you with this pretty picture in her honor:

A ginormous dragonfly I found in the grass...

(But I won't leave before telling you that as usual I have bit off more than I can chew by not only buying enough blueberries to make 4 pints of jam, but also a half bushel of apples I now have to turn into applesauce. It was only $8... how could I pass up the opportunity to add more work to my life for that price? And I finished making up Dorian's sweater... other than the zipper and button... but it is sewn together.)

The vacation so far

So far on this trip I have:

• Done some of the best boogie boarding of my life.
• Put in some "work" on my tan.
• Gone on a date with Jeremy that involved outlet shopping, an Indian dinner, wandering around Portsmouth with a yummy ice cream cone, and a walk on the beach in the moonlight.
• Given my children 4 desserts in one day-- the ice cream cone cookies pictured below for breakfast dessert, Starburst for lunch dessert, a pint of ice cream masquerading as a "kiddie" cone in the afternoon, and a slice of fudge cake after dinner. Can you say, "Vay-cay-shun"?

• Received a fantabulous present from my sister-in-law of some totally amazing crafting books, as well as some gorgeous yarn from her trip to Ireland. Lucky me!
• Had the following conversation while trying to boogie board:: Man: So, where did you get your board? Me: squinting without my glasses It's my father-in-law's. Man: Oh, because this one belongs to my friend, but it's only rated up to 150 lbs and I'm bigger than that. :: Now, I don't know what he wanted me to say; perhaps, [sultrily] "Just how big a man are you?" I never should have let Dorian talk me into wearing the cute suit today. Either way, when he continued to try to befriend me, I just rode the next wave to the shore and gave Jeremy a turn. Oddly, he didn't try to make Jeremy's acquaintance.
• Finished a pair of arm warmers for the fall with the yarn I got for free. I love the yarn and I am quite happy with the arm warmers. I am also quite happy that I do not need them at this particular moment.

Now I've got my DDR shirt on and I'm ready to head down to the boardwalk and the shooting gallery (not the heroin kind) and the fireworks.

Busy busy busy

It has been yet another busy weekend around the Hott Pocket house.

Jeremy and I began painting the garage, which I think is looking pretty awesome, but makes the actual house look poopy. We have less than half to go, but I definitely need Jeremy's help to reach the tippy top because I do not want to tip like a top off the ladder. This is not the best picture in the world, but it is the most accurate color-wise.

Yesterday, I was lured by cupcakes to the yarn store which was hosting an event with someone from a local organic wool company. Marin was very nice and very talented and the cupcakes were very delicious. I found myself a little jealous of her and the yarn store owner who both get to knit all day and get paid for it. However, if I were to be paid for knitting, I know one of two things would happen: a) I would immediately lose my inspiration/resent knitting or b) I would develop a horrible case of arthritis. I was also tortured somewhat by the obnoxious truth that there are more projects in the world than I can ever hope to produce. So, to remind me of that I have more yarn in my possession now as we each got to pick 2 skeins to bring home and they are totally mocking me while I slog through the sleeves for the summer sweater. I am staying strong and not working on anything else, even though I just got all this:

The yellow and the 3 skeins of gray are the boys' future sweaters. The multi-colored ball in the middle is a self-striping yarn I found in the clearance bin which is begging to be a pair of mittens for the boys. And the 2 skeins on the right are the 2 freebies I got which are a cotton/wool blend and very plushy and are asking to be made into fingerless mitts/arm warmers/coziness that I think I may keep for myself.

And today, after painting the garage in the morning, I met Christine to see Away We Go at the matinee. I really enjoyed it. It was very funny and I love Maya Rudolph and her character was very Christine who I also love. I do not love John Krasinski, but I thought he did a good job. The first 2 couples they go visit are way over the top and a bit much, but I have to admit that I have met people like that, so it wasn't entirely unrealistic. Overall, it is a good exploration of family and home and life and how even perfect isn't perfect. I highly recommend this one. And I don't care what Jeremy's wheel has to say about it in the future.

The home and garden report

Today's news brought to you by my dirty fingernails and eyeglasses.

It has been raining a lot here. Some might say too much. The only thing I can think of that is good about it is that I never have to water the garden. And lots of things are blooming!

The day lilies:

The rosebush I uncovered last year, and the bachelor buttons Dorian and I planted this year:

The miniature rosebush Christine gave me as a housewarming present last year:


And the copious amounts of grass I cannot seem to keep out of the kitchen garden. It rains so much that I can barely keep on top of mowing the lawn, much less weed. Because I'll tell you what: the kids want to go to the lake and so do I and it sucks to have to waste precious lake time weeding the damn garden. So, after I took this picture, I went back out and spent an hour weeding between rainstorms. The peas are almost finished, so I will be planting another batch soon. There are green tomatoes on all the plants except for Mr. Stripey. The second round of radishes is doing well, and there are baby cucumbers on 2 of the plants. God, that looks shameful!

And, I was a little overly eager in picking this carrot:

Lots of greenery, but not much of a root.

And now we go inside, where Jeremy and I have almost finished the wallpaper stripping and spackling in the music room. Soon, it will be painted and I can get the drum set out of my bedroom.

And because I don't want to leave you with that picture, here is a more pleasant one:

Jam! And lots of it. Last year, I didn't get to make any strawberry jam, so this year I have gone a little nuts. So far I have made

• 2 12oz jars,
• 4 8oz jars,
• and 4 4oz jars of strawberry rhubarb jam
• 8 8oz jars of strawberry jam

All of which required 5 lbs of sugar. Yum! That should last us until blueberry season at least. We now return you to your regularly scheduled web surfing.

Smells like my birthday (one day early)

I was already psyched for today because Dustin and Rob are coming over for pizza and cake and RockBand. (I am, of course, disappointed that Cortney and Quinnie can't be here, but I'm not going to let it interfere with the rawk.)

Then I call Jeremy and he asks if I can bring the kids by to visit today. Why? I wondered. Well, his coworkers found out it was my birthday tomorrow, so they got me cake. Awesome, right? Two cakes in one day = sugared up Hott Mama. So, I put Dorian in the car and we headed over. (I did not want to wait for Sebastian to get off the bus. He doesn't even like cake anyway.)

After Dorian starts devouring my cake, they asked me how old I would be this year. I tell them 33, to which they reply that they would have guessed 25. (Clearly, my Delia's top was distracting from the gray hair that has recently been flourishing on my head.) And here's where instead of cake, I decided to put my foot in my mouth. "If I were 25, that would have made me a 19 year old mom... [realize 2 of the women I'm talking to were teen mothers] and I don't think I could have handled that." Um, whoops! So I tried to cover it up with, "but if only I'd started then, the kids would be out of the house when I was 40." Go ahead, girl, keep diggin' that hole...

At that point, I thanked them again for the cake and stuffed my face with it to prevent any further embarrassment to myself or others.

Ridiculous weekend

This weekend has been, and will be, busy... but in a nice way.

Yesterday, I went to play "tennis" with Christine and Rosemary which was a total farce. We all got some exercise, but the balls were all over the place. We were fortunate to have the courts pretty much to ourselves so we didn't embarrass ourselves too much. We were all equally bad and half our cardio workout came from laughing. Can't complain about that.

Then I went to Keene where I managed to only get myself some more white thread for the languishing picnic quilt project. There was nothing at TJ Maxx, except a pathetic little episode where a girl snatched a dress off the rack the moment I returned it there and whined to her mother that she "needed" it. I need to stop shopping in the junior's section. Later, Christine and I went out for a drink and that was very nice until this asshole I can't stand decided to sit at the next table, and we cleared out.

Today, we went for a drive to find a diner (success!) and also went over to Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts. It is a cool little town with a Bridge of Flowers which is a pedestrian bridge lushly planted with, you guessed it, lots of flowers. There were beautiful irises, peonies, wisteria, and these awesome things that look like they are from outer space. We also visited the ice cream parlor/candy shop before heading home.

Tomorrow we are having the Flapdoodlers and our Hazzardous friends over for a little lunchtime barbecue/kids carnival. The boys and I made some bean bags with some of my scrap fabric, and Sebastian is working on a line-up of games to play. Should be fun...

The whirlwind tour

We left Saturday for our East Coast tour-- 6 cities/towns in 5 days. We are insane, I know. But I will tell you what, it was the only way to do it. None of that guests stinking after 3 days stuff for us. We barely gave anyone the chance to realize we were there before-- poof!-- we were gone. It probably would have been better had Sebastian not been sick, but he was and he was a real trooper anyway.

Some highlights:

Saturday: Finally saw Jamie and Kaci's apartment they have been living in for almost 5 years now. Sebastian's fever was probably around 104. Only Jeremy got to see Double Trouble.

Sunday: Drove to Baltimore and had lunch with Jeremy's co-worker at a cool restaurant. Went to my aunt's house to visit her family and my grandmother to find we were expected to also eat there a 1/2 hour after our lunch. Kids had an egg hunt and we were back on the road to our 3rd city to see my other grandmother and collapse into bed after watching Little Dorritt.

Monday: Went out to breakfast with my mother and grandmother, then headed down to DC in the pouring rain with my mom to go to the Air & Space museum and the Natural History museum at the Smithsonian. Sebastian was sick and whiny, my eye exploded in an allergic reaction in the orchid exhibit. Thai food for lunch at a restaurant that was supposed to be closed and then back to the guest house for a hot bath for me and naps for the 3 boys.

Tuesday: On the road again to Chincoteague to visit my little brother who is the best host ever. Anyone who says, "I'm always reading about you chopping stuff up, so I thought you'd like this" and then offers me a spread of veggies and dip and hummus and crackers can have me over anytime. Then we went over to Assateague to the awesome visitor's center and the ocean and saw some turtles, about a million egrets and 3 wild ponies grazing by the side of the road. Next we had some amazing ice cream (I had Snickers cheesecake and would have died happy). Then back to Jack's place for a fantastic dinner. He made some coconut-breaded shrimp and even though I generally don't care much for either coconut or shrimp, I ate them and liked them. There was also tuna steaks and rice and mango and veggies. Again, I will happily visit the boy. We also met his friend Susie who was super nice and kept the kids entertained with a floppy frisbee for, literally, hours. And just when I thought it couldn't get any better, Jack made me this:

and I almost decided never to leave. Mmmm... daiquiri...

Wednesday: On the road for the final time before 8am. Taco Bell for lunch at 10:45am. Then trapped in the car for 6 hours because traffic was horrible from the time we got off the Jersey turnpike until we got to the IKEA in New Haven. Then a 2 hour rushed drive home to try to catch ANTM and we were back at 8:10pm. There was quite the cheer when we all saw the "Welcome to Vermont" sign.

All in all, the kids were wonderful travellers, we didn't eat as poorly as I imagined/hoped, and we got to see lots of people we haven't seen in a long time. (Like my 14 year old cousin I'd never met.) But I will not be doing it again any time soon.

Reading aloud

I am not going to talk about how we had 3 inches of heavy, wet snow and a 2 hour school delay yesterday. No, I'm not.

I am going to tell you about the awesome book we've been reading. We have always read a lot in this house, by ourselves, together, quietly and aloud. Even Dorian is almost doing it by himself. Soon. But lately both kids have really been willing and able to enjoy longer chapter books read aloud. We all loved Matilda, everyone but me liked Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator*, and it was time to move on from Mr. Dahl.

Now we are reading a book Jeremy scored from a co-worker. It is Dominic by William Steig and it is totally awesome. I practically beg to read it to them and they never turn me down. The only problem is Jeremy needs to listen too, so we have to wait for him to come home. Anyway, it is about a dog named Dominic who decides to make his way in the world. He meets an alligator-witch, has run-ins with the Doomsday Gang and inherits a bunch of treasure... And we're only halfway through the book!

The only trouble I have with it is that it is full of what, in my family, we call "book words." You know, the sort of words that you read on a page, and you understand what they mean, but saying them aloud gets your tongue all twisted. My big one used to be "bougainvillea" and Jamie had a pronunciation of "archipelago" that still makes me giggle. So far in Dominic I have stumbled over both "adroit" and "reconnoiter" both of which have that French "oi" which I don't want to say all Trebekesque and ridiculously, but neither do I want to mispronounce. Looking it up in the dictionary didn't really help either.

*There was some seriously racist stuff that was really difficult for me to speak aloud. And that book was all over the place. Not his most cohesive work.

It's coming along...

While my frighteningly computer-savvy 3 year old was doing the PBS Kids thing this afternoon, I managed to get two more strips of the small squares and rectangles done for the picnic quilt.

One of the new strips is not pictured because I decided I needed to squeeze in time for one more after photographing and before I put the kibosh on Dorian's screen time. This is not a final representation of the order of the strips. That will come later when they are all done. But what you see there is about 28"x48" which I think is about half the size I want the squares to be. Making more strips and adding on a border or three should make it big enough for picnicking.

Although I probably would never pick out any of these fabrics in a store, I have fallen in love with them. You may recall that I got a one quart ziploc bag full of them at the thrift store for one dollar. They were all pretty random scraps, but some of them revealed that they were supposed to be stuffed bears and bunnies... probably for Easter. There is something so sweet and simple about the ginghams and polka dots and I just can't wait to get peanut butter and jelly stains all over them. The picture above looks pretty dull, I know, but I think only a grassy field will do it justice. We don't have any of those around right now, though.

And for the little bit of knitting I have managed since RockBand came in the house:

Miss Lydia's hat, modelled by Sebastian. It's the same old pixie hat pattern that I think I could do in my sleep, only fancied up with some flowers and leaves. I got to use up some of my many scraps of Lamb's Pride, so that was good. And I also got to try out some of the little embellishments in an awesome book my mom gave me, so that was also good.

Winter Carnage-ival

Today we headed over to the park for our town's Winter Carnival. It would be our first time having Sugar on Snow, a Vt tradition I have wanted to try for some time, but have missed out on due to intense dislike of crowds. I forgot my camera, so imagine this:

A big bowl full of snow, snow which I had to try to forget is made of space dust*, a Styrofoam cup full of hot maple syrup, a plain doughnut, and a dill pickle spear. Stick with me. It will make sense in a minute. You bring your pile of seemingly random foodstuffs to a table, ignore the fact that your toes are freezing and that holding a plastic fork while wearing insulated gloves is almost impossible, and get set up. The plan is to pour some of your syrup on the snow. This syrup has been boiling or a while, so when it hits the snow, most of it turns into a taffy-like goo. This you scoop up with your fork and eat while trying not to let the wind whip your hair into your mouth. (I failed at this and have the sticky hair to prove it.) You alternate bites of maple-y snow with bites of doughnut and pickle. The pickle part seems totally ridiculous until you try it. Trust me, it makes both the syrup and the pickle taste even better than normal.

So that was an exciting sugar rush, after which we did a little sledding while waiting for the candy chase and the sky divers. What else would you top off a bowl of sugar coated snow with but candy? My brother-in-law can attest to the sheer insanity of a bunch of bundled up children chasing after candy that is practically frozen into the snow. He was lucky enough to attend the Easter version of this 2 years ago. On the word "go" the kids tore off after bags of Tootsie Rolls, one girl even leaving a boot behind in the mad rush.

Then came the big excitement. A large red "X" was laid out in the outfield of the softball diamond while the snow blind multitudes scanned the sky for the plane bearing 2 skydivers. Jeremy decides to wonder aloud about how terrible it would be if one of their parachutes didn't open. I said, "That's why they always have a backup." He presses on about what would happen if they both failed. The plane drops the warning flag, which sails slowly toward the highway, well off course from the softball field. It's a windy day, they obviously need to test where to jump, much murmuring in the crowd.

The plane makes a second pass and the first guy jumps out somewhere over the pool where he should be blown back to the field. Shortly thereafter, the second guy jumps. Oohs and aahs. Suddenly, everyone realizes that the first jumper is heading toward the road very fast. He pulls a cord and the parachute dips quickly, and he is caught in a tree. A collective gasp. Sebastian starts running across the field with many of the onlookers. I have to chase him down. The second guy lands to minimal fanfare exactly on the X.

A full 45 minutes later, with 3 police cars, an ambulance, 2 ladder trucks from the fire department and a cherry picker, and they still didn't have the guy down yet. When we left, he was standing on a transformer on a telephone pole.

Christine and I both blamed Jeremy for thinking about there being a tragedy, but he refuses to take responsibility.

* It's true. When I did my snowflake nature program for the kids, I learned that every snowflake starts with a piece of dust, whether it's dirt or volcanic ash or dust from outer space. Also, the largest snowflake ever recorded was 15 inches across! You'd only need a couple of those for sugar on snow.

No better Valentine's Day

Well, it would have been better if I hadn't been woken up by the children screaming at each other. But so far:

• We had heart shaped cherry pancakes for breakfast. (I had to make them from scratch, but still.)
• There were fabulous homemade valentines from my 3 guys, including a pop-up one and a flip-o-rama one.
• There was a box of See's chocolates, which are the absolute best chocolates in the whole wide world.
• I was serenaded by my guys who sang 3 of my favorite songs.
• Dorian named his bumblebee "Honeyhive" at Sebastian's suggestion.
• Sebastian said he "couldn't imagine anything better" than the mittens I knit for him. (and he's got quite an imagination, that kid.)
• And Jeremy liked his gift which I painted for him. (It's a tropical stinkbug. Tres romantique, non?)

• Add to that the gift that keeps on giving, RockBand 2, and it has been an awesome day.

Now for some grocery shopping before Quinn comes to babysit so Jeremy and I can gorge ourselves on Indian food.

Busy busy busy

My first project* for the day was this "maze" I dug in the foot or so of snow we have accumulated over 2+ days of constant snowfall. I took this from the boys' bedroom window, but the car should give you some sense of scale. Yes, I shovelled almost the whole yard. Yes, my back does hurt-- thanks for asking.

The early afternoon was spent supervising 4 kids decorating the gingerbread houses I made yesterday. (Pictures to come on the boys' blog. Maybe tomorrow.) They were fascinating to watch, as usual. Dorian was especially intent and spent a long time covering as much surface as possible.

And after our second annual viewing of Pee-Wee's Playhouse Christmas Special**, it was time to make the latkes for the first night of Hanukkah. We forgot to have them last year which was a total mistake because, really, you should never pass up an opportunity for fried potatoes.

* When I say "first", I mean after making a pancake breakfast for everyone.
**Do yourself a favor and watch this after you go check out that awesome guest list. It is truly hilarious.

My hands are not so idle

May I introduce Miss Kiki? You may have seen her already over on the boys' blog where she made several appearances in the birthday post. Somehow I never got around to photographing her until now. So here she is! Sebastian specifically asked for a pink kitty with yellow spots and purple eyes. I contributed the striped tail idea, as well as the other yellow detailing. This was supposed to be a Christmas gift, but a rainy birthday afternoon was all it took to whip her up, so she became a birthday present fresh off the needles. Sebastian picked this acrylic/wool blend whose only redeeming feature (in my eyes) was the $1 per skein price tag. I think the color and yarn make her look a little Grannycraftfair, but that does not make her any less loved. It was a real tragedy when I asked to borrow her for an hour and a half to take to knitting group. Rest assured, she came home safe and sound.

The other thing that came home with me was this:



Oh...Malabrigo! I have often lusted after this yarn. It is so plushy and soft! When I finally settle on a pattern, I will be making my next sweater for me with this yarn. Not this color, though. Alas, now is not the time for personal projects, as Christmas is fast approaching. So you may be getting the occasional tease such as this, but I don't want to spoil any present surprises for anyone.

I'm running out of time!

Why did I think that things would slow down after August? That will be my busy month, I said, and then it will be smooth sailing. Well, I neglected to remember how much work it takes to keep a sailboat afloat and on course, I guess.

The calendar is full. November's calendar is beyond full. And I still need to dig next year's vegetable garden and sew some Halloween costumes!

I'm hoping to be able to get the necessary supplies to start on the garden today. This town is over-run with stray cats and cats who have homes but run the streets all day and have nothing better to do than poop in my garden and the dirt floor of my garage. Naughty kitties! So I can't just dig a garden. Oh, no. I need to also put fencing around the garden when I'm done. So, it is off to the salvage yard and the hardware store for me.

Meanwhile, I need to get to making a couple of costumes for the kids, one of whom is quite settled on his costume and the other of whom keeps trying to convince me he needs to be a Powerpuff Girl. (Go ahead and guess.) But the one who is settled wants to unnecessarily paint his face and keeps changing his mind about what color. Naughty kiddies! Then my husband has a grand idea which involves my cutting his hair twice in 2 days. (Go ahead and try to figure his costume out.)

I also have to find time today to prepare for the nature program/puppet show at school tomorrow. Sorry guys, there will be no video. Jeremy has to chase the DeeDee at home. It's just pictures on sticks for puppets anyway. You aren't missing much. (You can see a preview here.) But I also need to get my hands on some wax paper to prepare for the lesson on leaves.

And I still need to finish my blanket because it is mighty cold at night now.

I have my hands full.


Luckily for me, I also had my mouth full-- of the first pumpkin pie of the season, seen here with a steamy apple pie for Sebastian. The fool does not like pumpkin pie. Not my child.

The knitting news

Yesterday, I bought the last of the yarn I need for the queen-sized blanket. All I need to do is knit it up and sew it up and then I can live it up.
And about the only good thing to come from last night's debate was the beginning of my new scarf. It's made from a very texturally interesting yarn that goes from being very fine and thin to super bulky in the course of 3 or 4 stitches. It is very, very soft wool. I bought so much of it, that I think I can get 2 scarves out of it. Maybe someone else needs such a soft, pretty scarf. Then we could be all matchy matchy and start an evil clique who ostracizes people with acrylic store bought scarves. Or not.

Less than 24 hours...

And it already looks a little too lived in. Last night, Jeremy and I built the new bookcases and wrestled the couch into the living room. This morning we filled up the shelves. And then the kids trashed the place.And in other exciting news... I finally went to WEBS, which is the awesomest yarn store in the world. So many pretty, pretty yarns. It's a little dangerous. I think it's for the best that I never bothered to make the 50 minute drive before yesterday because we may not have been able to afford to buy a house.
Here's what I bought. 7 of the one on top and 2 of the bottom. I'm thinking maybe a hat and scarf. I can't wait to start. Then I need to finish my blanket. That will require a trip to the other yarn store first.

The awesomest!

There is a blog that I read sometimes that I mostly enjoy, but sometimes is way too touchy-feely for me. The writer is always gushing about long walks on the beach, or baby toes, or pretty sunsets or some shit and then asking, "What are you loving now?" Well, you asked for it, sister!*

*Note: I can guarantee she will probably never see this, but I don't care.
I love this scraper/tool/doohickey! Love it! Love it so much I bought a second one for Jeremy (not pictured) who I also love. It scrapes off wallpaper... It cleans paint off rollers... It pulls out nails... It opens beer bottles for people who drink beer (not me)... It is all around awesome. And I suspect it would be mighty handy in my next (first) bar brawl.
The Dyson. Aaaahhhh... Have you ever seen anything more hideously magical in your life? This thing can suck some junk off your floor, believe me. I know they're expensive, but if you are a smart shopper like myself, you will wait until your favorite farmers pack up for the west coast and then harass them endlessly until they sell theirs to you for half price instead of leaving it in storage. And then you can sing about what suckers they are while you wield the most powerful sucker of all.
I am loving that soon, very soon, our room will be done and we can get out of the scary room. Christine (not pictured) who I also love came to paint the trim with me this morning. She is awesome, and so is covering up the "Tenement gray" trim with "Ultra bright white" paint. Ignore the tape around the trim and just picture our room with the "Sundrenched" walls, white trim, "Chocolate Pudding" floor, and my dirty clothes all over the place. It will be wonderful...

Finally, I am loving that as I type this, Mr. DeeDee has passed out amidst the marker carnage giving me a brief moment of peace before we go to the CSA and the grocery store where he will be hollering for a cookie while I try to come up with a side dish to take to the back-to-school BBQ tonight. How many volunteer opportunities can I get myself roped into in one night? Watch and cringe.

What a summer!

The summer continues to fly by, and the projects (completed and yet to be) continue to pile up. After our usual Tuesday trip to the lake, we stopped off for our CSA pick up. This week, we got to reap the benefits of the Rupard vacation by taking their share. (They get ours next week.) We also got to reap the benefits of PYO organic blueberries. Thanks to the extra bounty, we now have a few more items to add to the pantry. Two jars of peaches and four jars of blueberries and one jar of blueberries and peaches have been added to the cabinet temporarily. Temporarily, you ask? Why, yes, I answer because...
We have the craziest month ever ahead of us. We go to the ocean for a week, come home for 2 days, and then close on the new house! That laughable appraisal slipped by the mortgage company, so we can, in fact, buy the house. Here's the new twist: Jeremy leaves the next day for a business trip for 4 days. But, that helps me justify clearing out for IKEA the day after he gets back. Then, we have a week to prepare the house to move in, 5 days to get settled/clean out the old apartment, and then we're off for 3 days of camping. And if I can find time to sign Sebastian up for school, he would start the day after that.
Crazy! We are crazy. Or we will be when this is all over.