for my "little" brother...

Who not-so-mildly scolded me over the weekend for my lack of blogging.

I'm a slacker.

I own it.

I haven't had much to say.

The school year is going well, for the most part.  I miss the class that I had the last two years, but this class is good, too.  For the most part.

I miss my niece and nephew.  They are growing up and I don't get nearly enough time with them.

Or pictures.

Ahem.  *cough*mybrotherisaslacker*cough*

Knitting is going well.  I've finished several projects lately, including two shawls.  I'm almost done with a pair of socks and I start a new sweater class soon.  I am so excited about this class!  I've been wanting to make this particular sweater FORever and now I am going to get to make it!

Congress is being a bunch of five-year olds and I am SO over it already.  We were supposed to go on a field trip this Friday that has been almost certainly cancelled because the place we were going is part of the National Park Service and since the government is shut down they will be closed.  So I have a class of disappointed children because Congress is acting like a bunch of spoiled children.

Hmmm....not much else is happening.  It is fall now and I hate it.

Sorry, didn't you know that about me?

Fall comes before winter and I hate winter.  Fall makes me sad because I know winter is coming.  I hate winter.  I hate cold.  I hate snow.  I hate winter.

But I digress.

Football is good and my team is not.  Well, they currently have a winning record but unless something odd happens, like, I don't know, the Earth tilts on it's axis or something, we won't have a winning record after Sunday.  I love the Cowboys and we are playing the Broncos.  And Peyton Manning.  Who is surgical in his slicing and dicing of all teams who aren't the Broncos.  Sigh.  Maybe one year soon we won't suck so much.  But hey, at least we aren't the Giants.  Or the Eagles.  hehehehehehehe!

Done for now.  I'm tired and I'm going to bed.

I hope I have made you happy, little brother.

;)

::crickets::

I truly am so sorry that I have been silent for a while.  I never intended to be.  I was not in a (long) funk about the topic of my last post.  I was however, caught up in the newness of another school year.

The older I get the worse it becomes.  Because of the summer off, by the time I work a whole week of school, I am dead tired.  The last two weeks have actually been really good but I am exhausted by the time I come home at the end of the day.

I have a good class this year.  They are a little talkative and right now I know that I am new to them and they are kind of feeling me out to see if I really mean what I say.  (I do.) Overall, though, I am fairly certain that this is going to be a good year.  At the end of the day today I was asking them what their favorite part of this week was and one of them said to me, "Getting to be in your class."  Awwwww!!!!  Heart melt!!!  Another thing that made me feel good was that every single student I have in my class is in my class because their parent specifically requested me as teacher.  I love being loved again.

I must confess, though, that I miss last year's class terribly.  Having had most of them for two years was wonderful but not having them this year is hard.  I am so thankful that most of them still come by, either in the morning or right after school, to say hello and to give me a hug.  Secretly I hope they never stop.  :)

Not much to report on the knitting front.  I currently have not one, not two, but FIVE projects on the needles.  Two are almost done and I am hoping to finish them this weekend.  One is about 65% completed but I really only have the patience to work on it a little at a time.  The fourth is about 75% completed and that is also looking good for this weekend or by the end of next week.  The last one is a sock.  The dreaded second sock.  Meh.

On the "healthy eating" front...I am doing ok, ,I suppose.  I did really well this week but am currently waiting for a (late) Papa John's order.  (And getting later by the moment.  My increasing level of irritation is directly related to their increasing tardiness with  my order.  My pizza better not be cold.)  I did make the conscious choice to request a light amount of cheese.  That should count for something, right?

Have a wonderful weekend!!

:)

Put some Windex on it...

So.  I have an ant problem.  I think we've discussed this, no?

Just about everything I have tried makes them laugh at me.  I'm not kidding.  I swear I can hear them.  They are like that creepy little kid Nelson from the Simpsons.

HA-ha.

So anyway.

I was at the Home Depot today to get some edging stones for my front flower bed and I stopped by the insect destruction aisle to see if there was something I hadn't tried yet.  As luck would have it, there was an orange-aproned gentleman there who offered to help me....until I showed him everything I had already tried. If I could have taken a picture of his surprised face for you, I would have.  He seemed genuinely gobsmacked that NOTHING on their shelves had worked for me.

So guess what he told me?

No lie...dude said, "Try Windex.  That's what I use and it seems to work."

All I could think of was the dad in My Big Fat Greek Wedding (one of my all time FAVORITE movies) who used the window cleaner on EVERYthing.

So.  I bought a bottle of the blue spray and home I went.

I have to tell you.  My house smells streak-free clean and the ants seem to really hate the stuff!

Way to go Home Depot guy!!!

I also bought some liquid ant traps that the little beasties seem to enjoy as well.  I keep encouraging them to drink their fill and then take some home to the family.  From what I could tell their nest is UNDER my house and I think we all know I am NOT crawling under there.

I am more than a little concerned about the weather we are about to have.  There is a chance of severe storms tonight (WHY must is ALWAYS be at night?!?!) and then tomorrow they are calling for tornadoes, hail, and massive power outages.

Sigh.

I mowed the lawn today so at least, if we do get all the rain they are calling for, I won't have a jungle to cut down after the fact.

Finally, to prove that I have, in fact, learned to knit socks, I leave you with the following pictures:

hehe...how did that cute face sneak in here?!?  

;)

WWKIPD...

Happy World-wide Knit (and crochet) in Public Day!

I spent the late morning/early afternoon with the girls from my class.  Almost all of them crochet and they have been wanting to get together since the end of the school year because, in 11 year-old time, 2 weeks is like 200 years.  It doesn't matter that they communicate through some electronic device just about every single day...being together in public (sans parents) is WAY more fun.

Am I right, girls??

;)

I found out today that they have been reading my blog.

Just great.

Now I can only say  nice things about them.

;)

lol!!!

We did have a good time today.  Lunch at Panera and frozen yogurt from Sweet Frog.  And of course, a lot, A LOT of talking and giggling.  They make me laugh so much!

On the knitting front:

I had to completely frog the shawl I was working on.  I screwed up somewhere and since I couldn't figure out where, I just pulled it all out and re-wound the yarn.  I was upset while doing it but I have made peace with it...and found a different pattern.  I am hoping to start it early this week.

My Jaywalkers are almost done.  I am on the heel gusset of the second sock now, although I did discover that I dropped a stitch when I was doing the heel turn.  I managed to pick the stitch back up, but now I am going to have to do some creative "tweaking" when I am finally finished the sock because there is a small hole where the stitch was dropped.  I *should* be able to fix it, though, and am hoping to post pictures of both completed pair of socks by Wednesday.

I have two other sock patterns I want to give a try as well as the Clapotis, which was all the rage a few years ago (or more).  I have some really pretty yarn for that one.

I am having the worst time with ants this year.  I have sprayed and sprayed outside with all kinds of ant-killer (including the kind that is supposed to put a "barrier" around the house for up to 12 months) but I feel like it is nothing but sugar water because nothing seems to deter them.  Every time I think I have them beat, I find one or two more in the kitchen and/or bathroom.  If anyone has any suggestions on how to get rid of the little pests, please feel free to let me know.  It is driving me CRAZY!

Well, if I am going to get those socks done I had better get back to working on them.

Happy Weekend!!

:)

Sushi, Monkeys, and Laundry...

How's that for a title??

I have come to the realization that blogging in the summer is boring.

Don't worry.

I still plan on blogging.

But honestly...

;)

Things are going well on my vacation so far.  By this I mean that I have managed to squeeze in a nap on most days and have gotten quite a bit of knitting done.

The last several days is had been over 90 degrees outside so not much going on out there.  It's a little cooler today but the humidity is still pretty high.

On Friday I had to take my truck to get the emissions test done.  Thankfully it passed.  Phew!  After that, I went to the salon to get a color touch-up and a trim.  It feels so much better and actually looks good.  For now.  Then I decided to go out for lunch.  Nothing fabulous...there is a Wegmans (a nice grocery store) in the same shopping center as the salon so I decided to get something there and ended up with sushi!  Now, before I start talking about how brave I am and stuff, please do note that the "sushi" I ate was a California Roll.

Baby steps, people, baby steps.

It was really good though, and now I think I am kind of hooked.  Like, I really want more.  Sooner rather than later!  :)

Sock knitting is going smashingly well, also.  This means that I am on the home stretch of the first Jaywalker. I am hoping to finish it and it's mate by next week.  This is a good thing since I currently have two other projects on the needles with plans for two more.  And yes, one of the new two is a pair of socks.  MONKEYS!!!!  These are the socks I have wanted to knit since I learned how to knit.  I think that I am ok enough to tackle these and I am super excited about it.

Now I am off to finish folding laundry and drink more coffee and knit.

I love vacations!!

:)

blah, blah, blah...

I love Summer.

And vacation.

I took a two hour nap today.

:)

I did get up early this morning, though, and spent about an hour outside mowing and trimming the lawn.  I'm not lying when I tell you that the dandelions were about thigh-high.

Pardon me while I hang my head in shame.

miss raven is very appreciative of the yard work.  It's tough being a foot and a half tall and having weeds whack you in the face and butt and all over when you are trying to bark at the helicopters.

I also returned books to the library and spent an outrageous amount of  money at Target.  I have my eye on some really cute curtains in there, too, and I am debating about whether they are gift-card worthy.  I'm picky about what I spend my gift cards on.  ;)

I am also working on my second pair of socks.  They are pink, I love them, and I am about halfway done with the first one.  I promise to post pictures when I finish it.

Tomorrow I have to go get the emissions test done on my truck.  It's overdo and if I don't do it soon my license will be suspended.  Sheesh, Maryland, don't you know people are busy?!?

I also have a hair appointment tomorrow morning.  I am thinking about letting it grow to all the same length, keeping it short in the back and angled down to a bob in the front.  Not sure though.  I'll talk it over with my stylist tomorrow and see what she thinks.  I generally let her do whatever she wants as long as I don't come out with some funky colored hair or looking like a boy.

I am also going to start doing yoga tomorrow.  We'll see how that goes.  Hula-hooping is also looking like an option.  I really want to try the Bar Method, but there are no studios close to me.  I am thinking about getting a  DVD of that and doing it at home.  I've heard it's a killer, though, so we'll see.

Ok.  Time to go work on a sock!

:)

Overthehump Day...

Wednesday is only Hump Day in the morning, right?  By now, we are over the hump.  At least, that's what I am going with.

Here's what's going on:

• My sock class finished last night.  I have one completed sock.  I immediately cast on for the second so as to avoid the dreaded "second sock syndrome."
• My lawn was UNBELIEVABLY high.  I finally mowed it this evening.  AFTER I had to make a surprise run to the gas station because I didn't have enough.  ARGH!!!!
• I love my class and am seriously considering failing all of them just so I can keep them again next year.  Think the parents would mind??  ;)
• There are only 22 more days of school left.  School days, not calendar days.
• miss raven is doing well.  Enjoying her treats and trying to fell helicopters.  Hasn't worked yet but the girlie still tries.  Gotta give her credit for that.
• Big scale fail on Saturday.  After a month of the scale not moving, two weeks ago I lost a pound!  Yea!!!  Then I promptly ruined that success last week by not caring what I shoved in my mouth and last Saturday gained three pounds.  UGH!  It's not looking good for this week, either.  Sigh.  I wish I didn't like food so much.

That's all for now.  Time for coffee.

Night!

:)

insert your own title here...

because I can't think of one on my own.

I didn't mean to go for a whole week without blogging but this last week has been so busy!

I had a pretty good birthday day last Sunday.  I went out to breakfast at the same place that my knitting group meets.  It was good and reasonably priced, so I was happy.  After breakfast I headed to DC.  Have I ever mentioned how much I LOVE the city??  I do.  :)

I went first to Eastern Market and, while I didn't end up getting anything special for me, I was able to find something for my BFF for her birthday.  It was fun to walk around and just look, though, and the weather was absolutely beautiful.  :)

I next headed to the Botanical Gardens.  I love to go there and look at the orchids.  As usual, they didn't let me down.  They are such beautiful flowers and I love to look at them and take pictures of them.

I walked around a little near the Capitol but I didn't stay too long because I wanted to get to my LYS before they closed.  They are offering another sock class and I wanted to make sure I could get in to that one.  I was successful and I also treated myself to some new yarn--as a birthday present.  ;)  Like I need an excuse to buy more yarn, right??

I found an AMAZING little Italian restaurant to each an early dinner in and I was so happy with my choice.  My food was delicious and the restaurant wasn't crowded so it was perfect.  I was going to go to Starbucks after I was finished with dinner but the line was so long and I didn't want to wait.  There is a new(ish) frozen yogurt place nearby so I decided to try that.  It was ok but I probably wouldn't go back.

I was so thankful for such nice weather over my birthday weekend.  Especially since the last several days have been cold and kind of dreary.  Doesn't the weather know that it should be getting warmer?!?

School was ok this week.  The kids (and I) are very much looking forward to Spring Break but we still have nine days of school to go before we can relax.  It seems so close but still so far away!  We had our final hot dog sale this past Friday and we did very well.  I am so happy that we have been able to pay for our whole field  trip to Medieval Times without having to ask the parents for any money.  I have to be honest, though, when I tell you that I am SO glad I won't have to deal with hot dogs again for a LONG time!!  Our field trip is this Friday and we are EXCITED about it!  The kids can't wait and, truth be told, neither can I! :)

I went to my knitting group yesterday.  I am really enjoying going and that says a lot coming from someone like me, who is more than happy to just stay home and be a hermit.  I like this group, though, and for the most part, the women who attend are really friendly.  :)

Despite going to the Cheesecake Factory, out for breakfast and dinner on my birthday, AND out to dinner the day after my birthday, I managed to lose almost a pound on Saturday.  I'm still not quite to 15 pounds lost but am hoping that, after I weigh in this coming Saturday, I will be past the 15 pound mark.  I'm still taking it one day at a time, though, and trying not to be too hard on myself for gaining all that weight back.  :o/

I hope you have a great end to your weekend and a fabulous week!  I'll be back soon, I promise! :)

it's the most busiest time...

of the year.

no kidding!

school has been crazy busy.  my kids are wonderful and i love them so much.  even at 1:37 when i feel like the day will never, EVER end and i don't think i can take anymore.  they bring so much joy to my heart.  they have such a good reputation in the school. not only are they freaking BRILLIANT, they are also respectful, obedient, and well-mannered.  they almost make me want to move up to 6th grade next year.  almost.

did i  mention how freaking brilliant they are?  they did an amazing job on our first benchmark testing and rocked the science test today.

i'm so proud of them!

on the knitting front:

• i finished the present that i was making for my niece.  can't post pictures right now because it is a christmas present.
• i am currently working on a scarf.  i totally love the pattern and am proud of myself because i am (successfully) following a chart.
• NEWS ALERT!!!  i am taking a SOCK knitting class in february!!!   so. freaking. excited.!!!!

that is all for now.  i still need to work on the scarf and survivor is on.

have a great night!

:)

So, wow...

Um.  Huh.

Today is November 16.  How'd *that* happen??

Thanksgiving is less than a WEEK away.

And I am (once again) a blogger slacker.

Let's get caught up....

1. School:
• Is going well, thank you for asking.
• We had Grandparent's Day today.  As much as it stresses me out, I have to be honest and say that it is one of my FAVORITE days of the year.  This year I had the grandparents share what school was like when they were in 5th grade and also any advice they wanted to give to the students.  It was so precious and I am so glad I thought to do it.  I loved hearing what they had to say.
• I did the coolest project this week...and it wasn't messy.  SCORE!  I had each group (right now they are in 5 groups of 3) plan a Thanksgiving meal for 8 people.  I gave them each a different grocery store ad and told them their budget was $60.00.  They did so well working together.  I was super proud of them.  They all managed to stay within the budget AND plan a pretty decent meal.  Although one group's guests will have yogurt for dessert....
2. Life:
• personally.....hmmmmm....things are changing.  I've had to make some tough decisions about some relationships lately.  It hasn't been easy but I am at peace about it.  I've also been able to renew an old friendship.  That was rather unexpected but has been....nice.  :)
• miss raven is still giving me cause to worry.  Tuesday-Thursday I came home to find that she had been sick.  When I got home she wasn't acting sick but she had been sick sometime that day.  Today when I got home, all was well.  No sickness, thankfully, and a very frisky puppy.  she keeps me guessing, to be sure.

I think that's it for now.  I'm looking forward to this weekend as I am going to my knitting group again tomorrow.  I had a nice time the last time I went and am hoping to step out of my shell and talk a little more tomorrow.

Now, though, the best movie EVER is on and I am going to watch it.

"You've Got Mail"

:)

Welcome back, me!

I've been away for a bit but I promise, it was for a good reason.

I was visiting her

and her

Yea for a visit with my BFF!!!!

We did a whole bunch of stuff including visiting the Memphis Zoo, walking on Beale Street (which, I am sad to say, was rather a disappointment), trolley riding through downtown Memphis, and watching the Olympics Opening Ceremony.  I am happy to report that a wonderful time was had by all.

Well...not by her

My girl is such a homebody.  I can't say that I blame her.

Anywho.

We've been home for a few days and I thought I should probably let you all know I am still alive.  Even better, today, for the first time in probably a year, I can contribute to Ginny's Yarn Along!



Look, look, look at what I have done!

My first knitted scarf:

My first knitted lace scarf:

A scarf version of The Camping Shawl (on Ravelry)

and, on the needles, the Helix Scarf:

I did read two books while I was gone.  Sadly, I am too lazy to get up from the couch, get my Kindle, and take a picture of them.  One was a knitting mystery (along the same line as the crochet mysteries I read last summer) and the other was the same type only it was set in a cupcake shop.  They were cheesy, but they were good.

I will do my best to be back tomorrow.  I only have a few short weeks of vacation left and I want to enjoy every second of them!

I've been bitten...

by the knitting bug.

I'm convinced it isn't terminal, but honestly, I'm obsessed with it.  Currently I am staring at my project that I started on Monday night at my class.  It is almost done and I am already planning for the next project I am going to cast on.

I have a billion and one things to do today and all I want to do is sit here and knit.  I forced myself to go out a little while ago and take care of the yard.  It wasn't as bad as it sounds because of the high heat and lack of rain but there were a few places that were starting to look overgrown.

I need to do laundry, wash dishes, vacuum, clean the kitchen, make my bed, and clean the bathroom but all I want to do is knit.

It's a good thing I have all that yarn.

:)

Catch up...

Hola!  It's me again!

Let's catch up, shall we?

• I've decided not to care if I don't blog a lot.  It's summer, I'm on vacation.  I'll blog if I want.  And I won't feel (too) guilty.  :)
• Sunday was my girl's birthday. She is THIRTEEN.  It's hard to believe that, especially when she romps through the yard barking her fool little head off at the helicopters.  She received a new squeaky toy and some treats for her special day.  The toy hasn't received much attention but boy, did she love those treats.  :)
• My BFF's little girl's birthday was also on Sunday and she is also THIRTEEN!  That one is even hard to believe.  I remember when she was born and it just doesn't seem like thirteen years have gone by.  She is one awesome kid and I am blessed to be a part of her life.  :)
• I took my lace knitting class last night.  While I was there I was extremely frustrated.  The teacher was good, it wasn't her fault, but the yarn they recommended was difficult to work with (although it has gotten better) and we were supposed to work on the project using the chart only.  I know that it is good to know how to read the chart but I really, really need to be able to see the written directions so I can get my mind wrapped around what I am supposed to be doing.  I made a mistake at the beginning (in the lace row) and she told me to just knit two together in the next row to get rid of the extra stitch, which I did, but by that time I was getting frustrated and discouraged.  Everyone else in the class seemed to be getting it and was sailing through the project, completing repeat after repeat, and I was still on row six.  The class was only two hours long which means NO ONE was going to get it finished; however, to finish the project we are supposed to kitchner the thing together.  She told us she wasn't going to demo the kitchner because we weren't going to get to it anyway and then gave us the name of a You Tube video to watch.  She did show us how to do a three needle bind-off, though, and said that would work just as well.  I came home and was still discouraged but decided to try it one more time before going to bed.  After I read the written directions, I figured out what I did wrong and then sailed through the next several rows.  Like I said, I know charts are good, and I know I need to know how to read them, but I really need to see the directions written out.  At least right now.
• My vegetable plants are annoying me this year.  Both my cucumber plants are dead.  I've gotten one tomato and have another red one waiting for me.  There are several green ones but no new blossoms. The pepper plants have lots of blossoms but no peppers.  I'm about to give up.
• The Olympics are only ten days away and football is only fifty days away!  Whoo-hoo!

Well, that about does it for now.  Consider yourself all caught up.

:)

the invader and how miss raven dealt with it...

I've decided that my new theme song is "Stronger" by Kelly Clarkson.

no explanation necessary.

(p.s.  i triple-puffy-heart love you, bff.  thanks for always, always being there for me!)

I do have a funny miss raven story....

The other night she needed to visit the yard.  I let her out and I noticed that there was something in our yard. Seems like someone kicked/threw/tossed an old soccer ball into the yard.  What happened next made me howl with laughter and made me wish I had brought my camera outside.  miss raven saw the "thing" from the porch and tore off down the steps to attack the invader.  her fur was standing straight up all the way down her back and she was barking like mad.  she ran up to the ball but stopped short and started circling it, facing it the whole time and still barking.  Of course I had to play this up.  I kept telling her to get it and she kept barking.  she finally got the nerve up to get a little closer and sniff it.  As luck would have it, she was on the opposite side of the ball from my foot so as soon as she got close enough, I nudged it with  my toe.  I swear that dog jumped six feet off the ground and she was madder than a hornet!  The barking started anew but this time she was hiding behind my legs and peeking around to "attack".

I really, really wish I could have video-taped the whole thing because it was just about the funniest thing I have seen in a long time.  :)

I made it to Michael's yesterday and picked up a couple of different cable needles.  These new ones are from Boye and have ridges in the middle that seem to hold the yard better.  I also finally used my Barnes and Noble gift card on another knitting book.  I really like this one because it has pictures that I can understand.  I started a new cable swatch and am really happy with it.  I have an idea floating around in my mind for a sweater for my girl.  I like the idea of a cable down the back of the sweater.  The only thing I'm not sure of is how to add little sleeves.  I am assuming I would need double pointed needles (DPNs) but haven't learned how to use them yet. I know how I would do the main piece and the under piece and I know how I would sew them together.  I'm even thinking about ribbing around the bottom and the neck.  We'll see.  Right now I am going to keep practicing my cables, though, and tomorrow I am going to sign up for the lace knitting class.

Keep cool today and guess what?  There are only 17 days left until the Olympics!!!!