I know, I know...

I've been gone for a while.

AGAIN.

But I swear I have good reasons this time!!!

Namely these two:

OMG!  Can you just die from the cuteness?!?!

I spent almost two weeks with them (and their parents and my dad) and had the time of my life.  They are SO much fun and it about killed me to leave them.

We did all kinds of things but the best part was just getting to spend time with them.

Once I got back from Texas, where, I must say, it was hotter than Satan's armpit, I went to see my best friend and her family in Ohio.

We had a great, albeit it short time, and I already miss her like crazy.  The worst part is not knowing when I will see her again.  (In case that wasn't clear, it was a thinly concealed plea for her to come visit me.  I'm not proud and I'm not above begging.)

Confession Time:

In my quest for "healthiness" I have been a total and complete failure.  Mostly.  For the last three weeks I have eaten pretty much everything that isn't nailed down.  It just dawned on my that maybe that's why my raven girlie has been spending so much time in the bedroom.  Poor thing is probably scared to death!  Today was no exception.  And then the guilt kicked in and kicked in hard.

Over in the corner stood a recumbent exercise bike that my BFF's parents generously gave to me this past weekend.  I can not even begin to tell you how thankful I am for it.  I got it hauled in to the house and it has been comfortably sitting there for the last two days.  And then tonight, after I had gone through the kitchen like a eating tornado, I decided that enough was enough.  I pulled the bike over to in front of the TV, got my water close by, turned on Jeopardy, and started pedaling.  Thirty minutes and five and a half miles later, and dripping with sweat, I stopped.  And I felt good.  I'm still fat, but I feel like I have taken a step to fix that.  I am planning on getting up tomorrow morning and doing another 30 minutes on the bike.  I would like to go for a walk but it is REALLY hot outside, even early in the morning.

Anyway.  I am hoping to lose 20 pounds or so before school starts in 6 weeks.  I want to start the year off on the right foot and hopefully, by this time next year, I will feel alot better about myself.  And maybe I won't mind having my picture taken...

:)

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!

:)

So far...

so good.

Although, I have to be honest, I don't feel like I am on summer vacation yet.

More like an extended Memorial Day weekend.

It has been nice so far.  I took miss raven hiking in a park.  Yes.  Us.  Outside.  Communing with nature.

I draw the line at camping, though.

I also went to my LYS, did some grocery shopping, and went to the Zoo.  I love the zoo.  Best time to go = early  morning before the loud groups of children arrive.

I have lots of other plans for this summer which may or may not include the beach, Ohio, and Texas.

I love summer!

:)

A month...

It's been a month since I last blogged.

I'm not making excuses, I'm not apologizing.

I  needed a break.

The end of the school year is so stressful for me.  This year was no exception.  Nothing bad...nothing bad at all.  Actually much good.  It was just....stressful.

School ended yesterday.  It was bittersweet because I love my class so much and I won't have them again next year.  I am not moving to middle school, have no desire to move to middle school, won't move to middle school.  So.  I am done being their teacher.

It was hard to say goodbye, even though the day was long and I was so ready for dismissal.  It was still hard to say goodbye.

I'll see most of them next year because 14 out of 15 are coming back.  The one that isn't is moving, unfortunately.  It will be hard to see them in the fall and know they aren't coming to me anymore.

My summer vacation began yesterday.  As long as we had everything done and were all checked out, we were allowed to leave when the kids did.  I was so happy about that!  I worked my butt off (not literally, sadly) this whole week so I could be done by Friday.  When I walked out the door, I had a huge smile on my face because I know that, aside from having to pick up my last two checks, I am DONE for the summer!!!!!

And so I promise that, although my summer vacation has begun, my blog vacation is over.

:)