Checking in

It's hard to believe it's been almost two weeks since my last post. LOTS happening. But I didn't mean to go MIA and desert you all. Things are fine here in my world, just busy busy busy.

First of all, my sister and her family are here visiting. After a whirlwind couple of days trying to do everything on our "list" (see the ocean being number one), we have now settled down into a routine of eating too much while watching TV on DVD. We tore through season one of Grey's Anatomy (oh how I love that show), then moved on to the first and only season of The Comeback (didn't really get it; thank goodness it was short). Now we've moved on to Scrubs. I've never watched it before--it's kinda funny 3 episodes in.

There exists a freaky little time warp that occurs when my sister comes to town. It's like nothing is real. I get so used to her companionship, and that of my awesome niece and nephews, and then they have to leave. And what I end up missing is not the spectacular things we've done (like our trips to the coast, though nice), but the little everyday things like waking up and knowing they're here and all the things we will do today. What we will have for lunch, what library books are due, what movies we will watch. I get faced with the choice of protecting my heart for when they leave by not letting them in to all of the things I do every day. But how could I not share my life with them? I still believe it's worth all the missing and the inevitable loneliness and tears to fully experience every minute with my beloved family while they are here.

Much knitting is happening. Long set-aside projects are being finished. I will share soon.

My love to all.

I am a floozy

You heard me right. Or a ho. I just cannot resist the pull of an interesting swap or knitalong. SP8 and the One Skein Secret Pal both end this month, and I need something else to fill my time.

As you already know, Amanda started the Mystery Sock Knitalong, which at last count is up to 58 members.Sign-ups go until August 14th, so if anyone out there is still on the fence, there is still time to join. This is the kal where you knit a pair of socks from a pattern that has no picture. Could turn out great--could be fug. That's where the excitement lies.

Jennifer has started the Knitflix Swap in which participants exchange fiber, movies, and goodies. Sign-ups go from now until August 16th.

Chrissy has just started Sock-A-Month 2, in which each participant knits a pair of socks every month from August through December.If you knit extra, you get brownie points and entered into a drawing for some serious fiber goodage. I didn't join the first round because, well, I didn't even know how to knit socks back then. Now with one finished pair done, I feel like I can conquer the world!

Oh wait, that attitude belongs in this next tournament, which I found courtesy of mamma. This is SOCK WARS, where the only rules are:

1. The first rule of Sock Wars is, you must talk about Sock Wars
2. The second rule of Sock Wars is, you MUST talk about Sock Wars.
(no really, for this to be a success we need as many combatants as possible)
3. Two socks to a fight
4. One fight at a time
5. No shirts, no shoes, just socks
6. Fights will go on as long as they have to
7. If this is your first time in Sock Wars, you have to fight.

Sound ambitious? I hope so. I might just get smoked in this tourney, but don't count me out just yet. After all, they did name a hurricane after me (hey, if I have to put up with all the lame jokes EVERY SINGLE TIME I introduce myself to someone, you can deal with it too).

Won't you join me if you dare?

Thank You, Secret Pal!

The goodness just keeps coming. Look what I got in the mail from my SP8 Pal: My fabulous Secret Pal sent a lovely handwritten letter (which is such a rare thing these days) along with a scarf she knit for me herself in my favorite color, purple. She also sent some yummy Bath & Body works shower gel and lotion (I love that place), some Lion Brand Magic Stripes sock yarn (somebody's been reading my blog...), some peach flavored balm, and a tin of green apple candies which she advised is good for holding stitch markers when the candy is all gone. Thank you so much, Secret Pal! You are so thoughtful. I love it all!

Isn't that a cute little smile on Girlie's face? And notice if you will her hand draped proprietary-like on the scarf. She wants it for herself.Look how soft it is, Mommy.
See how good it looks on me?
Oh no! Now Sproutie wants it too.

Speaking of our kids always wanting what is ours, I always advise new mommies to not let their kids eat off of the mommy's plates, because pretty soon they want anything you're eating. They feel like they SHOULD HAVE IT. NOW. How do I know this? The Count and I learned it the hard way. Witness adorable Sproutie here forming a hostile takeover of his daddy's stir-fried vegetables.
The thing I find most cute about those pictures is how adorably skinny little Sproutie's legs are. It's a wonder those little sticks can hold the child up. By this age, both Girlie and ZimDee were monsters. But not Sproutie. He's taking after his mommy and staying little. There are plenty of great things about being small. I can personally attest to that. How about fitting into the coolest hiding places during hide and seek? Not feeling crowded into a car or airplane seat? Huh? See what I mean?

Here's a photo taken of our growing little family last weekend. It won't be long before Girlie's towering over us. And if you've been paying attention, no, that's not a trick of lighting. My hair is darker. For the heck of it I decided to change things up. I like my natural hair color just fine. It's kind of a dark blonde-light brown shade. But you know how we get--sometimes we like to see a change. I was telling the Count that I should probably wait to dye my hair until it turns grey and I actually NEED to do it. But it's kind of fun for now. It will always grow out.

Finally, congratulations to Tim for winning the movie line contest from The Fugitive. Being in Chicago reminded me of that movie again. "Next stop-Merchandise Mart." That was such a great picture.

The next movie lines up for your consideration are:

"Earmuff it for me."

"I thought we were in the trust tree in the nest, were we not?"

Good luck to all.

Busy Day

Lots to say and acknowledge. I'll start from the start.

Girlie took swimming lessons two summers ago, and try as hard as she might, she could never get past level two. I don't think her muscles were developed enough to do what was required to pass, and that was to swim across the short length of the pool without stopping to touch her feet on the bottom. We spent the entire summer doing level two over and over and over and over and over again.

Last summer I was a little busy giving birth to Sproutie and taking care of a newborn, so swim lessons were out.

So we started up swim lessons again after our trip to Chicago. Girlie began in level two again, and she sailed right through it this time. She got her patch and certificate last Friday. We celebrated with a pizza dinner in her honor.

Today she started level three, and I can already tell that she's going to sail through this one, too. I'm so very proud of her. My babies love the water. So does their dad. Notice I didn't mention that I did. Because I DON'T. There is nothing about swimming that I enjoy. Call me weird, but we all have our likes and dislikes, and I strongly dislike the water. I like to shower; that's about it where water is concerned.

ZimDee also started his lessons today. He's in the preschool class, which is just for fun, to get him comfortable with being in the water.

Here is a picture of my water babies at the pool:Zim's in the forefront, of course. If you look closely you can see Girlie sitting in the background. She's the skinny little thing sitting to the left of the wooden stool.

Girlie's old enough to shower and dress herself in the locker room after lessons, but ZimDee is just old enough to not be welcome in the girl's locker room, and of course I can't go in the boy's locker room. So it's quite a juggling act to get Zim dried off on the sidelines while also holding Sproutie and trying not to expose ZimDee. We had to wait for Girlie to come out of the dressing room and hold Sproutie so I could help ZimDee. Otherwise Sproutie would want to crawl right into the pool! And there's no room for strollers in the tiny spectator area. So I have my hands full.

After that exhausting experience (and it wasn't even noon yet!) what I wanted to do was, well, go straight to bed. Instead I had tons of errands to run, but had to run home because I forgot my cell phone. When I got home there was a package waiting for me from the very kind Jennifer. She held a little song contest on her blog where you listed three to five of your favorite songs, and I won the drawing! We opened the package right then and there in the car. Jennifer was such a doll, she even sent some goodies for the babies. Here is what we got:Girlie got a very nice journal for writing her stories in. She absolutely loves it.For Sproutie, she sent a little stuffed toy of Elmo's fish Dorothy, which ZimDee promptly snatched up. He is a huge fan of Elmo (and Spongebob, judging by the shirt)But don't worry, because Sproutie loved the Spiderman mask meant for Zim.Just look at that sweet little smile! But I got the good stuff. A pretty card, a zippered bag to hold all sorts of knitting gadgets, and a gorgeous ball of Artful Yarns Portrait. Thank you so much, Jennifer. You are far too kind. And thank you so much for thinking of my babies and putting a smile on their faces too!

And finally, a correction. One of the errands we had to run today was to pick up the items that we submitted to the fair and collect our ribbons (and moneys). Here is a picture of all of my submissions and ribbons. Notice anything? It turns out that my raspberry freezer jam won a second place ribbon after all! I had not brought a separate printed recipe, but instead wrote the recipe by hand on the back of the submission ticket. The judges' comments on the check sheet says "good".
Yay! Hooray! I feel so good that everything I submitted to the fair earned a ribbon. I also earned a total of $16 for my winnings ($4 for first place, and $3 for each second place). I kinda like this fair business.

My raspberry jam is quite good, by the way. If any of you readers ever come to my house I'll let you try some of my "award winning recipe" as we sit and drink our tea.

But best of all, look what we found attached to Girlie's homework submission when we went to pick it up:Yes, my friends, it's a green "Youth Participation" ribbon and Girlie was so excited to get it that she didn't know what to do with herself. The look on her face when she saw the ribbon is one that I will never forget. I shared one of my dollars with her and she was proud as she could be.

Life is good.

Off to the Fair We Go...

But first, a word...

Blogger, oh Blogger, wherefore art thou so unstable when I try to put pictures on my blog??? The only consistent thing about you is your inconsistency. I've tried to fool you with figuring out html and copying and pasting the pictures in that format, making note of and changing the numbers of the photos. That worked for a while, until you caught on to me and no longer allowed even that. What have I done to forsake you? What can I do to get back into your good graces again? To quote the diva, Ms. Barbra Streisand: "Was there a moment when I cut you down? Played around? What have I done?" I'm beseeching you now with this one request: take mercy on this girl who simply wants to share her world with her friends and loved ones. Cooperate, please. Thank you so very much.

We continue now with our regularly scheduled programming, already in place:

Have you ever gone to the fair and looked at the exhibits, especially the ones that won ribbons, and thought to yourself, "I can do that!" Well, I have. Every year I go to the fair and say that, and vow that I'm going to enter something next year. When next year comes, I remind myself again that I'm going to enter something. This continues every year.

But not this year.

This year, I joined the State Fair Knitalong, hosted by Larissa. You can read the details of her KAL by clicking on the button on my sidebar. August 15th is the date to submit entries for the Oregon state fair. I thought I'd get my feet wet first by entering submissions in the county fair. But I rarely hold onto the things I knit. Unlike most of the other crafts I've done, which I tended to hoard, I give most of my knitting away. So the only unused knitting finished objects I had were things I finished just recently: my Mock Croc socks and a picot bag, which is a gift, to be given later this summer. (This bag might look very familiar to you, Kim, as I sent you a purple one for the Knitting Vacation Swap). So as I was going through the guidelines of submission, it occurred to me that I could also enter some raspberry freezer jam and some beaded bracelets. Here is a picture of my entries:

There was also a section for homework by age group. I asked Girlie if she wanted to submit a creative writing piece she wrote last year, and she did. So off to the fair we went. Here we are last Sunday carrying our submissions to the empty fairgrounds for judging later in the week.Here is my sweet Girlie registering her submission. They classify homework under crafts. Interesting.

The fair started today, and I tell you what, I have been on pins and needles waiting to see how the judges ruled. Actually, not so much for my stuff as for my Girlie's.

You know how, as a parent, you want your child to become confident? You want to encourage them to try things without pushing too hard. You want them to succeed on their own merits. You want them to appreciate victories. You want them to be happy and proud of themselves, no matter what.

Today was a no matter what for my sweet little thing. I was nervous the entire long ride to the fairgrounds. I was sweating bullets by the time we got to the exhibits. We went to the craft section, and found my Girlie's paper. There was no ribbon. There were tears in my eyes, I couldn't help it. She took it much better than I did. She said, "Well, the judges probably noticed some misspelled words." I sat her down and looked in her beautiful big brown eyes and told her how very proud I was of her to submit her work to the fair. That I thought it was a wonderful story, that it was my favorite. And that I was sad that she didn't get a ribbon this year. That she should be very proud of herself. While we were in the room, a little boy about Girlie's age came in with his mom and fished out his paper. It didn't have a ribbon on it. He was sad. My darling Girlie went up to him and said, "Don't worry, mine didn't get a ribbon either."

Oh, how I love you, Girlie, and your precious heart.Here you are showing off your crafty homework, ribbon or not. And you're already talking about what you're going to submit next year. That's my girl. Don't you ever lose that spirit.

By then I was afraid to look at my stuff. Afraid to find a ribbon. Afraid not to find a ribbon.

The only entries I was pretty sure would get a ribbon were my two bracelets. I love to do beadwork, though I don't do it as often now since I got so interested in knitting. Knitting is challenging to me because I have yet to master it. Beadwork, on the other hand, I'm very confident about.

I've never been to a fair where the judging for jams and jellies was not highly competitive. This fair was no exception. I didn't expect a ribbon for my freezer jam, because I'm just an amateur. I have not been submitting jams to the fair for generation after generation. I entered the jam on a whim. The guidelines didn't specify that you had to present the exact recipe with the jam. So, while quite tasty, it didn't qualify for a ribbon.

The bracelets, however, did. Another thing to note for when I enter work next year: If I enter two of the same kind of thing, like crystal beaded bracelets, they will be competing against each other. Good to know. So the bracelet on the left got a first place ribbon and the bracelet on the right got a second place ribbon. Girlie said she was so proud of me and started talking more and more about all the things she would submit next year.

Then on to the knitting. I didn't expect a ribbon for either of my submissions. Not because I'm down on myself or anything, but because the picot bag was just a little thing, and the Mock Crocs were my first ever pair of knitted socks.

I fished out and found the picot bag first, but it was kind of being held down by, what is that? A second place ribbon!Totally unexpected, and therefore, happy-making. Don't get me wrong, I was very pleased about the ribbons for the bracelets, but I was less confident about the knitting. Here is a closer picture of the bag:Finally, the socks. I fished those out, and they were also being held down by a second place ribbon!That's when I did a little happy dance. It was very exciting.

Did you know that they actually pay money for entries that win a ribbon? Something like $3 or $4 for first place, $2 for second place, and $1 for third place. I must re-invest this windfall back into my craft, don't you agree?

Here we are, worn out from the emotional highs and lows of our first fair exhibits.
For the state fair, I'm working on a silk daisy scarf like the one I knit for Jimmy's teacher. Wish me luck!

For the love of reading

My mother instilled in all of her four children the love of reading. I can't recall a time when my mom didn't have a book with her. In high school I would bring home assigned books for English class, and she would read them too. She would also read most of the library books I brought home. Her love of reading was contagious.

Now that I'm grown with three children of my own to raise, my time for reading has considerably lessened. In fact, in the last five years I haven't had much chance to read for pleasure at all. The most reading I've done is a magazine article over breakfast, or to consult a reference book on pregnancy or child-rearing. I read children's books to my babies, and they have developed quite a love for reading themselves. In fact, Miss Girlie belongs to a monthly book discussion group at our local library. But I missed being swept away by a good novel.

Then when visiting in Chicago, I asked my niece Stephanie about her favorite book, The Mercy of Thin Air by Ronlyn Domingue. She said she loved the story and offered to let me read it. I was skeptical of the time involved, but I got so interested in the beautiful story that I finished the book in no time. It's about a young woman who dies suddenly but her spirit lingers on earth looking for answers. I would definitely recommend this book. 4 1/2 stars out of 5.

Then my hunger for reading surfaced again. I picked up Lost and Foundby Carolyn Parkhurst. I'm a reality TV-show junky, and this story is set behind the scenes of a fictional TV show similar to The Amazing Race. I liked the behind the scenes look, and it was a quick read, but there are some morality and sexuality issues in this book that prevent me from recommending it to, well, my mother. If rating it by stars, I'd have to give it, oh a 1 1/2 out of 5.

That's two books I've finished so far this year. Now I'm a quarter of the way through Wicked by Gregory Maguire, which I'm surprisingly finding quite enjoyable. It's surprising because it is based on the character of the Wicked Witch of the West from the Wizard of Oz, a movie that truly freaked me out as a kid. The witch was so scary to me as to be psychologically scarring. I wouldn't have sought out this book on my own, but it's on the reading list for our library's adult discussion group. I requested the book for the discussion, but it didn't arrive until after the meeting had been held. I almost refused it when they called to say they had a copy on hold for me, but I checked it out anyway, and I'm glad I did. The author has several books on the "real" story behind fairy tales like Cinderella and Snow White. I've already requested his version of Cinderella, called Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister.

And now I've compiled a list of books that I would like to read before the year is over. Included in this list is The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, Being Committed by Anna Maxted (recommended by my sister A.), The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger (I want to read it because I enjoyed the movie SO much), Knit One Kill Two by Maggie Sefton (which was a gift from my Secret Pal), and The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger.

A lofty goal, to be sure. Since I'm in charge, I can adjust the dates accordingly. But it's good to have a goal, don't you think?

It's nice getting lost inside a book again.

Congratulations to Jennifer for winning the movie line contest from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Funny movie; I enjoyed it. Different from the TV series, but same writers, you could tell. Well done, Jennifer!

The next movie line up for consideration is:

"My, my, my, my, what a mess."

(Which is pretty much what the Count says every day when he comes home from work- ha!)

Good luck to all.

Happy Anniversary, My Love

Happy 14th anniversary, my sweet love.

This picture was taken the year we met. We were just babies then. But we knew true love when we felt it. You told me just tonight that you always knew you would marry me.

We were high school sweethearts, you and me. But we faced opposition from every angle. Cultural, mostly, from both sides, as well as an age difference. You are a few years older than me.

"Hey now, hey now
Don't dream it's over
Hey now, hey now
When the world comes in
They come, they come
to build a wall between us
You know that they won't win
Don't let them win."
--Crowded House

We have always loved each other true, but there was a time when we let the world get in the way and we parted, sure that we would never see each other again.

"Two broken hearts
Neither one knows what to say
Both falling from love
But not quite all the way
Look at us now
Reaching back for yesterday
Wanting to know
If the other wants to stay
After all, I'm the one who said we're through
Now I can't live without you anymore
Out there lost is a dream that can come true
Is it worth the reaching for?
Do you love me anymore?
Darling, hold me till the morning comes
Until I see you smile
Take all the sadness from your eyes
Hold me till the morning comes
Let me stay; we've just begun
I want to stay with you."
--Paul Anka

After some hard life lessons, we found our way back to each other, never to part again.

Our wedding day was one of the best days of my life. I was so calmly sure about marrying you. And oh my gosh were you handsome. I still see that man who met me at the end of the aisle whenever I look at you. I am so proud to be your wife.

Our wedding song was "Get Here" by Oleta Adams. What it represented to us was a commitment to the other, when we would say one to the other, "Get here if you can" that we would do everything in our power to be there for each other. And my love, you have.
I really like this picture. We're being showered by bird seed (more environmentally friendly, understand). What I like is that we are so happy and laughing and everyone around us is smiling and wishing us well. But what I like best is that you are guiding me through it all.I married a kind man. I love your sweetness, your wicked sense of humor, the fact that you've always stayed in touch with the little boy inside of you. I also love the fact that you show enthusiasm for any crazy thing I or the kids can think up. You are a wonderful husband, a loving father, and great provider. I am a lucky girl.
I love sharing my life with you.