Armed and Camera Ready!

Simply Gorgeous.








I now have the most horrible case of cast-onitis that I don't know what I will do.






The handspun definitely deserves special attention... perhaps I will design somthing... I will have to figure out how far this will go...






Ahhh, sweet indecision.

I'll keep you posted!

SQEEE!!!!

I GOT MY FIRST PACKAGE FROM MY SECRET PAL!!

LOOK! LOOK! LOOK! Handspun & Hand dyed for me!!!! The most beautiful fingeringweight wool in a wistaria colorway! Sock Yarn! Patterns! How did she do this? She compleletly channelled my favorite colors. Okay. Gotta get pictures of all this...

Darn - Camera battery needs charging...

Hold that thought!

Sock Wars?

Okay this one got a belly laugh, and I had to pass it on. Go take a gander at this one.

If only I had 12 seconds to put together I might be arming my DPNs as we speak... perhaps next year for me - The Revenge of the Sock!

A warm September rain...

I will never figure out how it is that I have fewer children around the house, and yet I have less time than ever after school starts. My entire home is cruelly dictated by the moments in which children wake up, eat breakfast, get dressed, go to school, eat lunch, need picking up, homework, and then the time volunteering in classrooms. Do mom's who work at an office have more time? Sigh. I may dream of it at this moment, but I know that even if I could afford to have someone do this stuff for me, I wouldn't let them. Then I'd be crying about how I'm missing all the important milestones, and first day of school stuff, etc. etc. etc. I'm sure there's balance out there somewhere. In this I have complete faith. Which is probably why, at our county fair this Sunday, I purchased a drop spindle and roving - you know, because I have so much time right now.









Personal time is overated anyway.

















But I have to tell you, this thing of watching bits of hair (kind of like the roaming Charlie hair mutant dust bunnies in our dining room) turn into a neat twisted line of something not only useful, but fun to play with... this is addicting. And it only gets better when Brandon asks "Mom, are you going to make more yarn today?" Of course darling... mommy will make yarn.... and more yarn... and knit with yarn... and pet the yarn.... and .... well, I should probably stop while I'm ahead. Now if only I can figure out how to ply it... Where exactly this will lead, I have no idea. But I'm starting to dream of Fair Isle hats mittens, out of natural shades. Could be interesting, don't you think?

On other fronts we are starting to get ready for Javier's next 50 mile race, out on Catalina Island. I think this one is the Buffalo Run. I'm pretty sure it has nothing to do with the runners all resembling a milling herd of buffalo before the start time, but rather the fact that there are actual Buffalo on the Island, though apparently rare to see. I'm looking foreward to this one. I haven't been out to Catalina Island in many years, and the fact that it will be off season (and thus very few people around, and fewer shops open) does not disturb me in the slightest. Javier worries that there won't be anything for us to do while he is out running in the wilds of the island, but I'm not really worried at all. I think it will be a wonderful adventure for us. As long as we don't have pouring rain ... it will be the middle of January. But in that case, there is always plan b. Just don't ask what that is. Yet.

All in all, I am actually getting excited about the changing season this year. Feeling the urge to decorate, clean house, plant. All the result of the wondeful feeling left behind by a warm September rain.

Armchair Epiphany

Actually, it was more like a potty epiphany, but I figured we would go clean in the title. Yesterday afternoon, while sitting on the potty, watching my daughter splash in the tub, and helping my sons build their legos (yes, all at the same time) I saw a vision of the hindu god Vishnu - you know, the one with four hands. Beyond the simple desire as a mother to HAVE four hands (is this really asking to much?), I decided to look up the god, thinking there must be some connection that my subconcious made in that all encompassing moment of multi-tasking motherhood. Here is what I found.

"The hindu god Vishnu is the preserver and protector of creation. Vishnu is the embodiment of mercy and goodness, the self-existent, all pervading power that preserves the universe and maintains the cosmic order."

That's when I got it. Motherhood=the living embodiment of Vishnu.

Yup. That's me. Mother. Just your local hindu god at work. All day. Everyday.

Did I mention that Vishnu doesn't sleep?

A Birthday Surprise for Liam

On Monday (Yes, Labor Day, the very day my precocious little boy entered this world), we went to Disneyland to celebrate Liam's birthday with 2 of his very best friends. The day was hot, but the park wasn't crowded, and we were set to have a wonderful day. Liam's buddy Nico met us at the gate, and after a quick jaunt on the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blaster ride, we were set for an early lunch...when low and behold, what should arrive? The Force. The Jedi's were out and about, and our 3 boys were unable to eat. Faced with this dilema, I shrugged my shoulders, and was dragged down to the roped area where young Jedi are chosen. Here you yell, jump up and down, and use your mighty (though young) powers of the force to be chosen to hold a lightsaber, and become a paduan learner for the day. The force was indeed strong with our 3 young aspiring Jedi, for ALL of them were chosen to go up on the stage.












Getting their Jedi robes....




























Learning the days lesson from our resident Jedi Master...










































The Dark side Rises...



























The Battle Begins...





































The Dark Side Retreats....





































They proudly cross the stage to recieve their Jedi in Training Paduan Learner Certificates. A proud moment indeed.










They had more fun than is decent for 3 young paduan, took part in an amazing battle for the fate of their souls, and defeated the dark side. A good days work, I think.














Later, we met up with Robert























and had a sticky good time with Pat E. Cake,











decorating our cakes (and ourselves) for a chance to win the decorating contest.











Apparently it was a close thing...we all won!











Then it was off for more rides. We rode Star Tours, Buzz Lightyear, and the Rockets at least twice. Pirates figured in there, along with Splash Mountain - a dousing which was quite refreshing in the heat of the day - and I discovered the secret of the Winnie the Pooh ride. What, you ask, could possibly be the "Secret of the Winnie the Pooh ride"? I'm bribable. I take yarn and playdates at Disneyland. :D

In the mail today...

Today I found a special treat in my mailbox... My new stitch markers! And some chocolate. We love chocolate. Mmmmmmmm....





Oh.



So, Jen opened her very own Etsy shop





(for those of you who don't know, Etsy is an online crafters community for buying and selling).




As soon as she announced it, I raced over, took all of about 2 seconds to decide that her very first stitch markers up for sale were going to be mine, and hit the Paypal.





She was quick about getting them in the mail (for some reason she didn't seem surprised that I bought them... am I getting too predictable in my old age?) and they arrived a mere 3 days later.










Aren't they lovely?








Tomorrow - Liam's Birthday surprise, and the palm desert aerial tram!

4 things meme

Another one from Jen -

Four First Names of Crushes I’ve Had:

1. Jason

2. Sean

3. Alan

4. Ben

Four Pieces of Clothing I wish I still owned:

1. My 36C Bras - and the body and used to fit into them.

2. My white halter dress

3. A swimsuit that fits

4. Uhhhh - help me here - ummm do I care about clothes?

Four names I’ve been called at one time or another:

1. airhead/blonde

2. Babe

3. Mama

4. Hips

Four Professions I secretly Want to Try:

1. Billonaire

2. Astronaught/space explorer

3. Author

4. Midwife

Four Musicians I’d most want to go on a date with:

1. Alice Cooper (I agree with Jen - that man is wicked smart with some really interesting philosophical ideas. Great converstation for sure)

2. Yo-yo Ma

3. Sting

4. Jack Johnson

Four Foods I’d rather Throw than Eat:

1. pizza dough :D

2. pickled eel

3. BBQ Tarantulas

4. Menudo

Four Things I Like to Sniff:

1. My hubby :D

2. the fresh Green smell after a rain.

3. brand new babies

4. Gardenias

Four People to Tag:

Anyone? Anyone? Beuler?

Happy Birthday Liam!

Today my little fireball turned 5 years old! I can hardly believe it. It is astounding how these tiny little things, so soft and helpless grow into the most amazing PEOPLE! Liam is my bouncing baby boy - literally. He never walks - he runs, skips, jumps, sidles, leaps, hops, bounds, whirrs, and spins. Sometimes all within the span of a minute. His mind moves so fast his tongue can hardly keep up with the thoughts he tries to express. He is pure explosive energy, and has the destructive power of 10 sticks of dynamyte if left alone in a room for any length of time. He is purely selfish in a way that only children can be, and yet when given the opportunity, he can offer up the kindest of words, and even compromises. He is stunning, brilliant, contantly amazes, and completely exhausting. I'm going to bed!