Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Tag! You're It!

I was over at the Glampyre Knit Blog, and discovered a little blogger game of tag!

The Rules:

List 7 random things about yourself
Tag 7 others, direct them to your site to get the rules.

OOOOHHH!
(Those of you listening carefully did not just hear me squeal like a little girl)
(Really)

When I get these things in e-mails, I usually smile, and send them back...but the idea of tagging a fellow blogger...
This sounds like fun.

So....

Seven Random Things:

1. I am literally starting to twich because I have nothing complicated enough on the needles to suit me. It's all straight knitting in the round.

2. I think I am becoming a lace fanatic. I LOVE IT!

3. Even though I have 3 children, I can see myself with one or two more. (MOM - don't pass out. We aren't planning to have any more.) :D

4. I miss playing my cello more than any other instrument.

5. I love to talk, but I am usually very quiet until I get to know someone.

6. I love to cook. I hate to clean. Sometimes I order take out for dinner, just so I don't have to wash the dishes right away.

7. My favorite show on TV is Heroes. Can't wait for the next season.


OK, now to tag people.

Friday, May 25, 2007

Happy Anniversary!




11 years ago today, I was wedded to my wonderful husband, Javier.






He has been the greatest adventure of my life.







It is still amazing to me that I manage to love him more each day, and that makes it...well, hundreds of times more than even the day I married him.








He is my best friend. He is my greatest supporter, and an honest critic.









He is a fantastic father to our 3 children.







He works hard both at work and at home to be the best that he can be.








He is always improving.







He is my inspiration, my passion and my life. I cannot imagine my life without him.





And so, happy anniversary my Love. Thank you, for everything. You have been, and continue to be, all I have ever hoped for and more. I love you!

Thursday, May 24, 2007

Arriving on a Jet Plane...

So today I am picking up my mother at the Burbank Airport. Liam is REALLY looking foreward to this, and is already causing my ears some amount of pain with his constant piping "Are we going to the AIRPORT yet?"

No. We are not going to the Airport yet. We have not left, because the flight is late. Very late. 3 1/2 hours late. Sigh. Maybe I should just take him now. How might I consider this, some of you might ask? Easy. I knit. I can out wait the second coming, for I have 2 needles and yarn. Imagination helps too. I think I am going to cast on for these soon. What do you think?

On a WONDERFUL note, I went to a knit night last night! Over at our local catholic cathedral, St. Rita's. It was so much fun. I am so happy to have found a local knitting community!

I'll let you know more next week.

I have to pack up my needles now and head to the Airport.

LIAM!!!

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Knitting wings

This weekend has been one of my busiest in a long time. Multiple things to do each day. Today was the first day that I didn't have anything on my calendar. It was nice to sit for a bit. But what was really surprising is that I somehow managed to knit an entire sweater for Maia in 4 days. I cast on Saturday morning, thinking that I would need something a little simple and plain to work on for the weekend, and having finished the baby socks for the gift for the Baby Shower Friday, I needed something on the needles. (We shall politely ignore the socks, lace-edged tee, and scarf that are currently enjoying a holiday in the knit bag.) So I grabbed the lovely mixed pinks from Moda Dea, Cartwheel collection and cast on for a simple sweater done top down with raglan sleeves. I couldn't believe how quickly this came together. Even with a quick trip to JoAnnes today for another skein to finish the second sleeve, I was finished this afternoon. Now all it needs is buttons. Pretty, isn't it?

In other news, I am supposed to be taking life easy for a few days. After a couple of abnormal paps, and a biopsy, it was determined that I have "abnormal cells" that "may or may not" become cancerous. So they "froze" the outer lining of my cervix to make it regrow the tissues. Sigh. I hope that I am finished. The proceedures that come next don't sound any where near as fun as the pinching, and freezing, and cramping that I have had so far. Keep your fingers crossed.

Brandon thouroughly enjoyed the Pinewood Derby held by his Cub Scout Troop on Sunday. Much to my surprise, his car actually did really well! He won 3 of the 4 races that he was in, and made it to the 3rd round in the single elimination tournament afterwards. It was a nice picnic, and a mostly pleasant afternoon in Baily Canyon. Now I will have a better idea of what to do next year, and what kind of entertainments I might want to bring for the other two children. At least until Liam is old enough to participate himself. At least he gets to do Soccer this year. It will be interesting figuring out how to manage two practices and two games each week, but I think that it will be worth it.

Here's to a quiet week. And some rest.

(Stop Laughing!)

:D

Friday, May 18, 2007

OHHHMMMMM....

Ah yes. Life. Let us meditate on this for a moment. And.... "BOOT TO THE HEAD!"

This, my friends, is the great joke of life. Just when you think that you are going to be able to breathe for just a moment, you realize that you have 12 million things to do, and 3 days to do them in. Example. This weekend - Have new water heater installed. Fix kitchen faucet. Knit baby shower gift. Go Yarn Shopping with Sister. Well, that's not so much of a hardship. :D Register 2 boys for AYSO. Go to Birthday Party (maybe not...depends on time...) Go to Baby Shower. Don't forget to wrap knitted gift. Say Good bye to Husband as he departs for work. On Saturday. Don't say you don't want him to go. (This doesn't make life easier. Just kiss him goodbye, and thank him for all the hard work he does.) Wake up much too early on Sunday. Go to Pinewood Derby for Cub Scouts. Remember Camera. Hope to see Heroes Finale soon! MUST SEE HEROES THIS WEEK!

That will be all. My mind is clear.

OHHHMMMM.....

Friday, May 11, 2007

All in a days work for Carnival...

In preparation for the Carnival in the Park, my lovely son Liam decided to cut his hair...himself. Thankfully, I managed to maintain sanity, and did not beat the child with the scissors. Instead, we straighted the bangs, and will be making a trip to the barber at the soonest opportunity. I guess the boys hair was getting a bit shaggy. And a buzz cut will be nice and cool for summer. But please tell me I am not the only mother that just wishes I had a little warning - or maybe a request to trim the front instead of hack it?

On a more joyful note, today I have finished a newborn lace cap, and blocked it. A serious level of procastination and avoidance against the Carnival...but it was necessary! There is a baby shower for which this is destined in a little over a week. Never mind that the Carnival is tomorrow. Really. Everyone knows that baby things must be knit as they are called. Right?








I finished the pocket monsters and delivered them to the pre-school. 1 day left to Carnival. They are only 2 weeks late from the original deadline. This included knitting a tail and 2 ears. Today. Sewing a few small seams. Making sachets to go inside (with a trip to Jo-Annes for the smelly stuff! yay!)



Yarn you say? What yarn. That's not yarn... it's ummm, uhhhh....STRING! Yes that it string. I didn't purchase any stash enhancing yarn. Nope. Not me. Well, maybe just a couple of skeins. What! They were on sale!

I have made fudge and delivered it. I only sampled 1 piece. What you say? Only one? Yes. One. Today. Tomorrow is another matter. (There were - umm - leftovers. :D )This was a fun endeavor. I seem to have been suffering from the cliche "neighbor starts to cook without proper supplies" syndrome. I needed butter. (Thank you Daddy!). And I needed 1 cup of sugar. Incredible isn't it. Exactly 1 cup of sugar. I can remember thinking about all those TV shows and books where the neighbor knocks on your door, measuring cup in hand, " Sorry to bother you, but do you happen to have a cup of sugar?" Yah. That was me today. I looked out of my kitchen window. No one was home. Hmmm. Dad? No. I had already borrowed butter. A cup of sugar would have just been too much. So I gathered up my Spaghetti encrusted daughter, and we headed to the market. Sigh. 1 bag of sugar. But the Fudge is done! Done and delivered to the Pre-school for Carnival. Right on Time. For once.

I have also delivered the lovely Foxglove Flower that Liam carefully selected for the Pre-school. It is only 1 week late from the original deadline. All I had to do is buy it. Sigh. I have no idea why I don't do these things when they are supposed to be done. Maybe it just seems more efficient to me to deliver them all on the same day. But I know they need time to get things ready for the big day. It must be that procastination thing again. Where did I put that list...

So, the big prep for Carnival is done. All of my mandatory donations done. Turned in. Complete. Finito. It is a huge relief. I can now feel free to enjoy watching my sons "pretend" to beat each other into complete annihilation. It is so nice when they play well together. Okay. Enough of that. On to the next...Baby socks! Yes. I finished a lace cap. I would like to put some socks and some mitts with it for the baby shower next Saturday. I am pretty sure I can pull this off. Baby socks knit up in just a few hours. So this is definitely doable. Even with 3 kids. Really. I have a whole week!

In other news, we have had a new faucet installed in our kitchen. It is the most wonderful thing that I have ever seen. It gleams on top of my sink, no mold or mildew surround it. And best of all...water actually flows through it! This is a true novelty in my home..we have been dealing with what most people would refer to as "low water flow" for at least a couple of years now. I kept hoping it would get better. That I would get used to it. And I did deal with it for quite some time I think. I definitely do not want to be a bother to my parents. I am just so grateful to be living here. But finally enough was enough, and I had to call the plumber. Between the water heater shedding bits of plastic into the pipes all through the house, and the general build-up of umpteen years, the faucet had had enough, and was letting only a small trickle through. Thankfully, a lovely new faucet now graces my home, and I am greatly enjoying the use of water once again. Behold, a picture worthy to send to Flylady!

I must also point out to you the lovely blue wash cloth, which has come to me from the far ends of the earth, and has now settled in is rightful and proper place in my kitchen. My soul sister and much missed friend Jen made it and sent it to me with a bunch of patterns, after cleaning out her sewing stash. Thank you. I promise I will use it until it falls apart. Knitters Honor

Bob Cat is still trying to figure out how I managed to do all this in one day. So am I, really. But now I can call it a day, nurse my baby to sleep, and make one more thing...the final piece to a birthday present for my sister.

Good night all!

Tuesday, May 8, 2007

Se la vie

This post has been a long time coming. I have actually been brooding and generally just sulking over it since I missed the opportunity to put up a Happy Birthday wish for my oldest son Brandon, who turned 7 years old on May 1st. Yup, he's my May Day baby. I don't know why, but something about 7 just strikes me. It's like he's not really a "little" boy any more. He's just, well, a boy. Not my baby, not a toddler, not "little"...an amazing example of how time just keeps on moving along, whether you are paying close attention or not.







I still find it amazing that I remember this tiny little life, so small and fragile, and amazing. My first born baby. And now he is this amazing person, so full of life and opinions. Brandon is a very special soul...gentle, caring, playful, and imaginative. I am so proud of my boy. It is my honor to be his mother.

Happy Birthday Brandon!