2008

Here we go, a new year :) What's it going to bring for us?? Wouldn't it be nice to be able to tell the future and find out in advance?

One thing I'd like to see in 2008 is the IWK flooded with finger puppets. See my little blurb over on the side there?? Let's get that number up really high.

I've been working at trying to get things a little bit organized around here. Not sure if it's working or not. Trying to set up some sort of a control journal. Check out the FlyLady site for info on that.

TTFN

Just found out that I am going to be teaching a lady that we know, and her daughter, how to knit. They have yarn for socks and mittens and various projects. Not sure what they have, but they shopped at The Tangled Skein. I'm sure I'll be drooling :) Never thought to ask if they know how to do the basic stitches or not ... will prepare to teach them incase they don't. I'm looking forward to this :)

Let's try this again

This is my third attempt at an update on my blog. Getting just a little bit frustrated!!! Had a nice, newsy update typed, lost it all. Had a shorter, but still newsy update typed, lost it. GRRR
Now the short, to the point typing ... bet it'll let me publish this!!

The birds are loving our bird feeders. Imagine a picture of a log suet feeder with a woodpecker and a chickadee on it, that's what you'd see if I wasn't so discouraged. We've got woodepeckers, chickadees, junco's, 2 types of nuthatches, bluejays and a morning dove that come to the feeders.

All my Christmas knitting is done :) Now I'm working on a pair of thrummed mittens that a lady ordered. They are blue heather in color with the white wool. Aren't they pretty??

Merry Christmas

Pay It Forward

Found this on Barbara's Blog - Country Acres Are My Home over there on the right. So, thought I'd take the idea and have some fun. :)

Here's the deal: I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days. That is my promise. The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.


I've been busy trying to get some Christmas presents made. Saturday our local library is having a silent auction/bake sale, so I'm trying to get some things made for them as well. Busy, busy, busy!!

ACK!!!

Do you know that it's just over a month till Christmas?? Where did November go?? Yesterday it was about Nov 4th I'm sure!!

On the positive side, I have a craft sale to sell at on Saturday. Today I finished off 24 ornaments to take to hopefully sell at it. If they don't sell they'll become Christmas presents :)

I've gotten some orders for ornaments that need to be made; I'll start on the patterns for those later today.

I've also got a few presents made and/or bought, so I've got a start on the list. Really need to get busy and get more things made.

Today is quiet ... for now.

Both kids only have a half day of school. It's report card day. Both had good reports. Troy is settling into the high school quite nicely, taking part in class and doing as he is required to do. He has done a few projects even :) Katie is doing nicely, she needs to work on her reading, spelling and book report doing.

When she comes home today she'll have a friend with her. I'll take the two girls to curling at 3:00. Come home, grab some supper, and then go to the firehall for 6:00. We're getting together tonight to set up the tables for the craft sale, decorate the hall and make the soup to serve on Saturday. (we make the *best* turkey soup!). We're also going to be making sandwiches, sweets and nibbly type food for a funeral reception tomorrow - a fireman's grandmother passed away. (The day after his daughter was born)

Tomorrow evening is set up stuff to be sold on Saturday. Saturday is the sale. There are actually two craft sales in town tomorrow, and a parade at 2:00 .... so it's a good day to come to Shelburne :)

I've been knitting pelts. Have some for the sale. Made a blue one for Katie to give to a friend for her b-day present tomorrow. Have to make a green one for another friends b-day gift ... green fun fur is not available in town. She may need to settle for another color.

I'm also working on a pair of socks for someone for her Christmas present - no names because she reads my blog. I hope she'll like them. Want to knit a bunch of pocketbook slippers for SIL and her hubby for their gift - they have a new house, would be nice for their guests to have slippers to put on.

Well, enough babbling. Have a good one!

It's getting chilly outside

which means I want to do more knitting. Right now I'm working on socks for Christmas presents. Nothing too exciting. Just plain ol' socks.

Have knit some animal pelts. That was the "pattern of the day" for Sat/Sun in my knitting calendar. I'd post pictures, but they aren't in the computer yet. I've done a purple pelt, and a multi-colored pelt (that one went to school with Katie today). This blog has a picture of a pelt on it that she knit http://simpleknits.blogspot.com/2007/09/new-lace-book.html ... so go there and get an idea of what I'm creating. Little bits of cuteness :)

I've got a Pampered Chef party here on Saturday. We're looking at all kinds of neat baking/cooking gadgets. Then the demonstrator lady will make us a cinnamon Christmas tree to eat, and we'll make some pretzel wreaths. I'm also going to make up a meat tray. We'll have brunch. 11:00 if you are reading this and want to come.

We had our first snow on the weekend. Our fish pond has been having a thin layer of ice on it in the mornings. It's kind of neat to look at the fish through the ice. We've been told we can just leave the fish in the pond all winter, and next spring they'll still be alive. I hope everyone who told us that is right!

Tomorrow I get to work as a Library Assistant for the day. Ours school LA has to go for an appt, and I've been hired to fill in for her :) YIPPEE for me! I've been volunteering in the library for many years now, and know how to do all the things that I'll need to do. I hope it's a good day. I'll have 2 classes coming to check out books, 2 classes coming to do research, and 1 a few kids from another class coming down to work on powerpoint stuff. I'll take my knitting with me.

Have a good day!

Happy Halloween

Hope every one has a happy and safe Halloween night.

Troy and I are handing out the treats here at home tonight, hubby has to work. We're going to build a fire in the firepit and hang out there for the evening. Hope we have fun. Last year we had 12 kids, wonder how many we'll have this year?

I accidently got hit in the face with a soccer ball at work today. Now I'm sitting here debating if I want to go the the hospital or not. I'll probably wait, and try to see my own doctor tomorrow. My face is sore, and it hurts if I take a deep breath in through my nose. And it's a little swollen. I suspect I'll have a nice shiner.

Picked up some yummy apples for myself today at Sobeys. Honeycrisp. Friends of ours gave me on the other day, and I totally enjoyed it. Was at Sobeys today and a girl asked me if I wanted to try a sample of apple. Tried it, and it was the same kind ... so off to the produce dept I went. They are a big apple, I eat half of one at a time. A sweet, but yet a little tart, taste. Go buy some!

Working on a pair of red and yellow socks for a friends daughter for Christmas. Using some acryllic yarn that I got at our local "dollar store"; sort of Harry Potter colors, but not really ... close enough to do.

Have a big pot of chicken soup on the stove, and it smells nice!

Have a good one!!

BOO!!

humm ... can't think of a title

OK, so here is a picture of Katie holding her whirligig. Not the best picture, but a picture. I'll get a better one of it sometime.

Last weekend was 4-H Provincial Show in Windsor. Katie had a felted purse and a jean leg wind sock that were both entered in competitions. The purse got 5th place, and the windsock got 7th. She was pleased with the results. What a nice weekend it was. Over 2000 4-H kids there. Along with sheep, goats, rabbits, cows, light horses, work horses, turkeys, chickens, geese and dogs. It was kind of like organized mass chaos :) Since Katie didn't have any competitions to do we got to watch a little bit of everything. And if you ever have a chance to go watch a 4-H tug-of-war .. DO IT! It's amazing to watch. They have 5 minutes, and everytime we watched it the middle of the rope hardly moved at all in the first couple of minutes.

I'm up to 18 pairs of socks done. Gave one pair to Mary for her birthday on Sunday (she turned one). Pair 14 has also been given away. I'll have to get pictures of 15, 16 & 17 before they go away. 18/52 for the year, guess I'm not going to meet the goal of 52 for the year ... oh well.

Troy will be home soon. When Katie gets home we have to rush her off to a dentist appt. Then I think we'll stop at the local "variety store" and do some browsing .. he has been getting some craft stuff in.

Have a good one!

Updated to add that a kitten is coming here this evening to be fostered. A black long haired little thing is all we know. If it's a boy it may have a home waiting for it. Or it may stay here a bit. Who knows. All I know is I'm getting a baby to cuddle with as I read the latest Harry Potter book (got it from the school library today ... just came in yesterday .. first one to borrow it!)

Back in the Routine

School is back in, and we're getting into the routine of things.

Troy is waking up between 6 - 6:30; he has to be up by 6:30 to have any hopes at all of getting him on the bus. Bus goes at 7:25. Getting up that early with him means that I have lunches made up earlier, and am able to sit and relax for a while before Katie goes to school. She's getting up earlier too, which means she isn't as rushed in the morning.

I've been knitting socks. Last Saturday I started a pair of wool socks for my friends Columbian exchange student, finished them Friday evening. His birthday was Friday. Yeah, cut it close, but they were done in time! Also have knit a pair of little girl socks and almost one single little girls sock for another lady - getting paid for these ones :) Want to do a few little pairs up for the Christmas craft sale in November - if they don't sell then Mary will get them.

I think I decided what to make my friend Mary Anne for Christmas. But, can't tell you what it is because she reads this. I have to do a swatch first and see if the yarn and the pattern get along together or not.

Today was my first day volunteering in the school library. Well, my first day this year, not my first day ever. Just two classes. Kim and I are working together this year, she's very nice.

Should go and get a snack ready for Troy when he gets home from school. Made some fruit filled muffins this morning - they are yummy.

more socks

First of all the socks. From the left. Here's my daughters modified version of the feather and fan sock pattern. See my previous post for a rambling of the pattern that I did.

Second is my feather and fan socks. Katie and I have mother/daughter socks ... and we both wore them to work/school today :)

Third pair is a pair for Mary for her b-day the end of the month.

Speaking of Mary - here's a picture of her. Isn't she a cutie patootie???

What to knit??

I just finished a pair of feather and fan socks for me. (pictures tomorrow, hopefully). Have enough of the yarn left over to do my daughter a pair of socks. I just don't know what pattern I want to use. I'd like something with a little bit of pattern on the cuff. But a short cuff. Not the basic K1P2 cuff and leg that I normally do. I'll have to surf and see what I can find out there that I like. Problem is that most of them are adult size, not girl sized ... and I'm not sure I can mentally adjust the pattern.

I learned something new!! I learned how to make a pie crust :) I'm so proud of me. Both kids have told me how good my pie crusts are. I made hubby an apple pie for dessert tonight ... of course he had to go out to work sooner than he planned and hasn't had a piece yet. The rest of us, on the other hand, have all had a piece.

Friends of our got an exchange student on the weekend. Tony is from Columbia. We met him last night at a BBQ/marshmallow roast that we had. Seems like a nice guy. Quiet ... but I suspect that is because he had just met us and was a little bit shy.

guess that's it for now.

ADDED Sept 5th
OK, so I decided what to knit for Katie's socks. She told Dad that she thought it would be neat if she and Mommy had matching socks. I played around for an hour last night trying to get the feather and fan pattern to work on 54 stitches, and just couldn't do it. So I played some more. The final pattern is divided over 3 needles; 13, 28, 13. The 13 needles are k1p1. The 28 needles is k5, k2tog (3 times), yok1 (6 times), k2tog (3 times), k5. Then there are 3 rows where the 28 stitch needle is just knit, while the k1p1 continues on the other needles. This places a feather and fan row down the top of her foot. Just finished the guesset on the first sock, and it's looking pretty good. I designed a sock pattern!!! :) YAY ME!! I'm going to wait until I get her socks done, then I'll post of picture of the "Mommy and Me" socks.

We're going to the kids schools a little later on to drop off their supplies for the year. I like to do it the day before so they have less to lug on the first day of school. Especially Katie as she has a rubbermaid container to take with her.

If you ask Troy if he's excited to go to school, he'll look at you and say "high school" ... he doesn't go to school, he goes to high school. :) A part of the syndrome that he has makes toilet taining an issue - I'm proud to announce he is using the washroom now!!! YAY TROY!!