Stitching Away

This past week has been more full than I had originally anticipated!

C went off to Misha's house to potty train (and it was a very successful venture, I might add....THANK YOU, MISHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), and I had a laid back list of things I wanted to accomplish. I probably could have, too, if it weren't for the fact that I felt like being so lazy the first couple of days. I did a whole lot of nothin'! And then, sadly, something completely unexpected came up; Misha's dad was admitted to the hospital for cardiac reasons. There was a lot of emotion and uncertainty there for a while, so I went down to her house on Wednesday to pick up C early, and ended up staying at her house overnight with A in tow (which means that yes, he missed a day of school, lol) for moral and emotional support. After a lot of prayers and a lot of waiting, we found out that it was a heart attack, and after spending the day with Misha on Thursday, A, C and I all headed back home. (To those of you wondering, he is doing much better now and is at home, though he has a lifestyle overhaul to put into action, and it won't be easy. Any and all thoughts and prayers for her family are appreciated!)

So last night I actually got around to working on the crafting I'd put off at the beginning of the week. I finished the hat for the friend of a friend that just started chemo (I'm hoping to get some better pictures before I get it sent off):

It's not actually quite that dark of a purple, though it is dark, and I hate that you can barely see the stitch definition in the photo. (There are swirls that go all the way up the hat.)

Since I completed that one, I began on another hooded scarf that I was commissioned to do. :) The yarn is super soft, and it's working up quicker than I expected! (I don't generally do well with monotonous knitting, but this time, it's not so bad! LOL I'm already over 5" into it!):

As to the blanket that I started a few posts back (which will be sent to Tammy for her Prayer Blanket Challenge), it's growing at an enormous rate!

It's already 36" across (which is the smallest it should be, as it could end up going to anyone from the age of toddler to teen), but I think I'm going to add on about another 4" or so and then do a little "border" or sorts, color scheme-wise. I am loving how it's turning out!

That massive spider is still in my craft room, and I'm still too chicken to take it on...but I can't be mad at The Instigator for not killing it yet, either...because he got me a brand new computer last weekend! :D He had one built for me that is better than the little HP slimline one I previously had (which wasn't powerful enough to play WoW on effectively), and I am very happy with it! And on top of that, I'd made a comment a week or so ago that I needed a chair that sat lower because I ended up hunched over at my desk all day due to the correlation between where my eye level is and my monitor...so yesterday, he brought me home a little stand for my monitor that raised it up, and while my posture still leaves much to be desired, lol, I'm not constantly rubbing my neck and shoulders from the knots that formed from my previous situation. Hooray! :D Okay, now I'm going back to my crafting...

A slight change of plans...

So it seems (alas!) that I will  not be able to achieve everything on my list in the previous posting. C is not going to make it to the weekend without his mommy. lol He has done phenomenally in the area of potty training, and is officially in "big boy underwear." He has, however, begun to pull out all the stops with Misha. He's showing his dramatic flare, and he's showing it hard! LOL Everyone that tells me my children are oh-so-sweet gives me looks of disbelief when I reply with a snort and an "only when they want to be." But it's soooooooo true. Misha even called me and said she doesn't know how I don't go insane! Between C and The Instigator and A's tantrums....Where on earth she even got the notion that I'm not insane, I have no clue. LOL But the clincher in not waiting it out until the weekend is this: Yesterday, he asked Misha why his Mommy doesn't want him anymore. I will not lie, it was hard to not cry when I heard that. (And had The Instigator not been sitting across the room, watching and waiting for the tears to start falling so he could poke fun at me, I would have cried!)

So tomorrow (since we try to go down to Ramstein on Thursdays anyway, for The Instigator to go to his martial arts class), we will be going down and picking up C. It will be interesting to see how he reacts...my mom keeps throwing this story up at me about when I was in Sunday School one time (probably about C's age), and she came to pick me up afterward, I yelled "MOMMY!!!!!!!!!!!" and proceeded to tear across the length of the room, arms spread open, and threw my myself at her, wrapped my arms around her legs and slid down to the floor, hugging her. So yes, I totally get where my boys come by their dramatic flare. And I will admit it. (Mostly because I have to. Anyone that knows me or my husband for more than 5 seconds would be able to pin that one on me.) I would laugh if C did the same thing (or something similar), and am considering video taping the event to have evidence, just in case he does behave similarly!


So as that gives me one to one and a half fewer days without him, some of my list is just not going to be accomplished. I spent all day yesterday doing a lot of nothing and being incredibly lazy...I didn't have to feed a little mouth or change a stinky butt (nor will I have to do the latter again, once he's back!!!) or repeatedly tell my child to stop running in the house. I didn't have to set a good example by eating healthy, so my lunch was apple pie. (It was also my snack, in both the morning and afternoon! LOL) I cycled one load of laundry through and put away dishes and started loading up the dishwasher, but stopped before all the dishes were in there (telling you! Lazy!), and I played WoW. A lot of WoW. But on my already level 85 character, not my level 36  character. LOL So sadly, I will not be catching up on laundry. I might get close, but it won't be done before tomorrow night. Nor will my "toon" reach 40 by my self-imposed "deadline." I did read (quite a bit, actually, though I won't be finishing the book before tomorrow night, either), and I have been ridiculously loud and obnoxious with my music, singing along at the top of my lungs. Shockingly, I haven't touched the crafting. I thought for sure that was what I would snatch up the second I had a moment to myself, but I'm beginning to think crafting is what keeps me from going ballistic...it's my therapy...no child home all day long requires no therapy! LOL Today I went back to bed after I took A to the bus stop, and I just got out of the shower and am now eating a late lunch (if you can call chips and salsa "lunch"!). I may get to crafting yet today...we will see! As to exploring our town...well, I'll just have to hope the weather intends to warm up a little so that I can take C along with me! :)

Edit: And the plans have now changed again...Misha just got the news that her dad is in the hospital with some serious cardiac problems. Since she is trying to get back to the States to see him, I'll be picking up C tonight instead...I have thoroughly enjoyed the time I've gotten to myself! Please send your thoughts and prayers to Misha and her family right now.

Different kind of To-Do list

Things I am going to do (or at least attempt to do!) while I am kid-less during the day this week:

1. Add the ribbon to the Tiramisu Blanket I started back in June of last year for a baby that is now about 3 months old...

2. Finish the chemo cap for the friend of a friend (I'm approaching halfway done!)

3. Actually catch up on laundry! (Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it is possible!....for a few hours, at least! LOL)

4. Begin on the next hooded scarf that I have been commissioned to make

5. Blog (I'm going to aim to post daily...I still have a bunch of those 30 Days of Letters to write!)

6. Read (I have a book I just started last night that I want to finish!)

7. Play my music as loudly as I can while doing housework (I won't be interrupting any little ones from their movies or playtime!!!) and sing along obnoxiously!

8. Enjoy the silence while blogging and reading

9. Explore the town I live in a little bit!

10. Make (and document) at least one item of a crafting nature (and I'm talking thinking outside the yarn box!)

11. And if I have time....level one of my World of Warcraft characters to level 40! LOL

So ambitious of me...I guess I'd better get to it!!!

Under My Skin

I have always been the kind of person that is rather easily offended (compared to most people...or at least compared to the people that I generally spend time around!) and quickly gets defensive. I've been working on that a lot the past few years (and being married to The Instigator has certainly helped in that development of character quite a bit, for as much as he picks on me! LOL), but every now and again, no matter how hard I try to let something go, I just can't seem to. Tonight happens to be one of those times.

I love social networking. I am a social person by nature, and I love that technology helps me to still be so connected to friends and family back in the States and finding people with similar interests. But occasionally, something stirs up that defensive monster in me....one of the groups I'm in on such a site discusses the television musical comedy, "Glee." (I adore that show! I go through withdrawals without it!) One of the most recent episodes featured music from a certain Justin Bieber. Because of this, one of the topics approached in this discussion forum had to do with some interviews that the 16-year-old singer has given recently. (And by "recently," I do mean since he shot to stardom...what, 3 years ago? Something like that...I'm not exactly a fan, though I don't despise him, so I don't really keep track...) One person mentioned that in an interview he gave, he mentioned that "in America" basketball is not referred to as basketball, and another person or two commented on how thick he must be. I replied and pointed out that "America" doesn't necessarily mean "United States" (as the question was raised, "isn't he from Canada, not the U.S.?") before I noticed the post directly before mine from a moderator of the group telling everyone to stop discussing The Biebs. It must have ruffled someone's feathers (more than the one, count 'em, one person that freaked out over discussing the interviews), because my reply to a post prior to the mod's prompted a direct reply from said moderator stating: "Is what I said not clear enough?" Immediately, that reply alone irked me. I mean, really? So I merely replied to the mod stating "I replied before reading through the end of the postings. It’s deleted now." What I wanted to say was "A) I said nothing in regard to Justin Bieber. I merely stated a geographical fact. So regardless that I posted that reply before I saw the mod warning, it was not directly related to Justin Bieber's intelligence or interviews; B) You could have simply deleted my comment yourself and sent me a private message pointing out said mod warning, and while I might have rolled my eyes at the computer screen over it, I'd have dealt with it as that is a moderator's prerogative; and C) Since someone here clearly doesn't take their Midol before publicly posting a mod post, I'll just alleviate you of my presence and continue to watch the show unencumbered by your personal opinions." /leave group

But I didn't. Why? Because that's not very nice, and because it really isn't necessary. So I was going to just leave all that unsaid and in my head...but then I went to go lay down and go to sleep...but it clearly was bothering me more than I realized, because I kept subconsciously clenching my jaw and fitfully moving around trying to get comfortable! That's not exactly conducive to The Instigator getting good sleep, and the poor man has to get up for work in the morning (after a 3-day weekend of gaming into the wee hours of the morning and being the first up with the kids so I could get some extra rest)! So instead, I slipped back downstairs, fired the computer up, and have now gotten it off my chest. I really do feel so much better now! LOL (And now, I see that there is someone in the group that "liked" my comment apology for posting the first reply and that I deleted it...for all I know it could have been said mod! So I'll just take a deep breath and let it all go....)

Ah, the world of social networking to one who's hackles are so easily raised....LOL

My Prince

My life has been running at a break-neck speed in a helter-skelter manner for the past 6 and a half years. I met my husband in January of '04 (while I was dating someone else), and The Instigator and I started dating in June '04 (after I'd broken up with the previous boyfriend, of course, lol). By mid-August '04, we were engaged...and got pregnant (SURPRISE!). We were married in the beginning of that December. The following April, I had A. And when A was only 8 months old, we got another surprise....C was on the way in 9 months. Since C was born (in August '06), The Instigator has done a year-long tour in Korea without us, we've moved overseas and spent 3 years in Italy, and while in Italy, The Instigator went on 2 deployments to the desert. We recently moved from Italy to Germany. (As in this past Christmas season. Very recent!) So ever since I met my husband, things have been full-steam ahead! A started Kindergarten this past fall, and it's amazing the difference in having only one of the two boys at home during the day makes.

C was only 7 weeks old when The Instigator left for Korea. It was rough. I needed cuddle time, and I (conveniently) had a new baby that was absolutely okay with being constantly held and coddled and carried around. (And yes, that has totally come back to bite me in the butt since then. LOL) When A was about 8 or 9 months old, we left him with my in-laws for two weeks. (It seemed like the longest 2 weeks of my life, on top of which I had the extra pregnancy hormones! LOL) I've tried my best to make sure our boys don't have severe cases of separation anxiety. I leave them with friends or family, or take them to the CDC (= child development center = base daycare) when The Instigator is deployed and I get it for free. I never sneak away (I don't need them to freak out or have abandonment issues!), but I always tell them where I'm going, that I'll be back, and get and give hugs and kisses.

To my recollection, C has never been away from me and The Instigator overnight. It's always the one or the other of us. (Though I admit, I could easily be forgetting a time or two of family watching him for a night, since, as I've explained, my life has been so hectic, I'd not remember! LOL) Well, Misha and her boys came up to spend the weekend with us. (We had a BLAST!) And she decided (with The Instigator offering to reimburse her with a graphics card for a computer so she can play World of Warcraft on a desktop computer) that she was going to potty train C. Yes, you read that right. C was born in August of 2006, and he is/was still in pull-ups. He is not easy to work with on this. Nobody ever believes me when I explain it. They think I'm exaggerating or just not trying some trick or another. But I promise you, I've tried them all. He. Just. Doesn't. Care. He will sit in pee or poo for hours, because he didn't want to go in the toilet. And that's in pull-ups or underwear. It's not enough discomfort to motivate him to put it where it belongs. I've tried letting him run around naked, but he will, no lie, go right on the floor, both for number 1 and number 2. He. Doesn't. Care. At all. But Misha can't stand to watch me still change the butt of a 4-year-old (and really wants to play WoW for extended periods of time on a desktop computer! LOL LOL LOL), so she has taken him home with her for a week. A whooooooooooole week. I honestly didn't think I'd feel his absence this much, if at all. Granted, going from 4 boys in a house to 2 is in itself a large change in noise level. But going from 4 to 1?! It's eerily quiet. LOL

It will certainly be nice to not be pestered every waking moment with "Mama, I'm thirsty," "Mama, I'm hungry," "Mama, I'm stinky," and be able to keep a house clean during the week without little 4-year-old hands going behind me and undoing as much of it as physically possible. LOL But it will definitely be different. C is my little prince. He absolutely has my heart. (It's kind of hard for him to not have someone's heart! He's adorable!) I know that once he's done with his potty-training "boot camp" with Miss Misha, I'll be glad to have him home again. :) Until then, I think I'll revel in the silence, the cleanliness, and the crafting time that I get this week! ;)

(See? I told you he was adorable!)

Crafting update!

Whew!!! The end of the Lanthir Lamath KAL has come to a close! I finished both scarves!!! Hooray! :D I finished off the blue, non-hooded one on Tuesday, and stayed up last night until the gray, hooded one was complete as well. :) Today (as in, right this moment!), they are upstairs, blocking!!! I can't wait for them to finish drying so I can "ooo" and "ahh" over the end result! :D (Though I really do hate the smell of wet wool...LOL) I'll be taking a bunch of pictures, for sure, this weekend! The recipient of the gray scarf is coming to visit for the weekend, and she's really good with a camera and uber-model pretty. :) So look for pictures of those this next week!

In other crafting news...a friend of a friend has just started chemotherapy, so I'm making her this hat in a purple chenille yarn. Once I got past the ribbing (endless K1, P1...except to make the lines cleaner and more stretchy, I did a seemingly endless ribbing of K1tbl, P1tbl), it picked up big time, and I wouldn't be in the least surprised if I finished it before next week!

Other than that....I've been commissioned to make a hooded scarf in white, which I'll be staring as soon as I'm finished with this cancer/chemo cap, and it is going to be sooooooooo soft! And I've not yet made a single sale on Etsy. :( I know, those kinds of things take time, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed a little...I plan to add some yarn-ish goods to the beaded ones soon, so maybe that will help. Though I do have someone clamoring for a Time Turner! ;D


And now...for the "dark side" to my post...you may recall that I earlier said I have the scarves blocking upstairs. But my craft room is downstairs. So why is all this not taking place in there? One simple reason: my craft room has a new resident. And it creeps me out beyond description. I have a serious case of arachnophobia. It's horrible. I can't look at spiders or even pictures of spiders without shuddering and instantly brushing myself off with my hands, just to make sure that it's just my skin crawling, and not a spider on me! Sometimes I even have to shower to get rid of that feeling. I'm not sure why it's such a big deal to me, seeing as I have a significant size advantage, but I can't seem to help it. I'm terrified of the disgusting things. I'll kill them when I have no other option (like when The Instigator is deployed and can't make it the thousands of miles home to kill it for me). I've even had friends over that I've begged to save me from those nasty things. I'm a complete, screaming, mess. So when this HUGE spider showed up in my craft room....well, I spend as little time as possible in there! I keep one eye semi-on it, just to make sure it doesn't move, and get what I need as quick as humanly possible and get out! (Eesh, even as I'm typing this, I'm having to brush myself off! Ew!) I've even had nightmares about this spider, evidently, as The Instigator says I was freaking out in my sleep about it, swatting it and whatnot. And even worse, half the time I'm in there, it's hanging out on the ceiling!!!!!!! I'm just glad I have no cause to get close enough to where it could fall on me! EW!!!!!! (Okay, I need to wrap this up...I need a shower...lol) I have no idea how I managed this without hyperventilating or anything, but I managed to take a picture of this thing just so you all can see how disgusting this one is! (And why it's claimed the territory of my craft room and why it's so far been left that way!...The Instigator is being lazy about it, and it's a bit irritating...) I have GOT to get some eucalyptus plants for my house! (I hear they repel spiders.) I'm talking at least one for each room, here! Okay, if you want to see the picture of this craft-room-stealing monster, scroll down....if not...I DON'T BLAME YOU!!! Now, I'm off to shower this skin-crawling sensation away...

Chicken Casserole

Lately, I've been craving my mom's casseroles, chicken and tuna both. I'm not sure why. But as my husband (who shall henceforth be referred to as The Instigator) despises tuna to the point of if I make tuna salad for sandwiches while he's at work, I have to air out the house and brush my teeth after eating it or I'll be refused kisses, that option is out. So chicken casserole it was. And as we had some cooked chicken leftover from when The Instigator made his chicken enchiladas while we had company over this past weekend, it made sense to use up the meat in a chicken casserole. Unfortunately, as The Instigator grew up in Oklahoma and Texas, he tends to find things from my mom's recipe repertoire unpalatable due to it being too bland for his tastes. So tonight was an adventure in the culinary arts...for me, anyway! (I don't generally cook...a chef I most definitely am not! I put "cooking" low on the list of desirable house duties...right above cleaning the bathroom! LOL I prefer to bake...) Anyway, it turned out fairly well (though The Instigator mentioned a couple of things he would have added to add color and garnish to the dish...and yes, he is the chef of the house! LOL), so I'm posting the recipe to share here, at the request of a friend! :D

You will need:

12 ounces of wide egg noodles

16 ounces of picante sauce

8 ounces of velveeta mexican mild cheese (or about 2 cups of mexican 4 cheese shredded cheese)

2 - 10.75 ounce cans of cream of chicken soup

5 cups chicken

milk

Boil the chicken, spicing to taste, and cut it into small pieces (chicken on the bone is best for this, but chicken breasts also work well)

Boil the noodles according to the directions on the packaging, and then strain off the water.

Mix together cooked noodles, cooked chicken, both cans of cream of chicken soup, (and using one of the empty cans to measure the milk) 1 can of milk, and all 16 ounces of picante sauce.

Once well mixed, pour into a 9"x13" (3 quart) casserole dish.

Warm Velveeta cheese (with a splash of milk to prevent the melting cheese from sticking to the pan) and pour the melted cheese over the casserole. (If using shredded cheese, just sprinkle it on top of the noodle mixture.)

Bake in the oven at about 400* F  for 20 minutes (or until the cheese starts to bubble at the corners of the dish).

It came out quite well, and even The Instigator approved, though we agreed that next time we'll likely add crunched up corn chips in the bottom of the pan (for texture), and he recommends adding in diced red and green bell peppers to add color and garnish to the casserole. Enjoy!!!

Best Friend #1

As I have 2 bestest best friends in the world, I'm going to be doing 2 letters for the first topic on the list...

Dear Best Friend,

As I was laying in bed last night, trying to relax and go to sleep, so many things began to run through my mind. The letter to you I composed in my head was full of profound phrases and sweet memories...but wouldn't you know, this morning, I couldn't remember a word of it! So, since the emotions behind the forgotten words are the same, I'm hoping that this letter will at least touch and warm your heart.

From the first moment we met, I knew that we were (as Anne-with-an-e Shirley would say) "kindred spirits." I honestly, really and truly, believe that God coordinated our meeting and that we were destined to be best friends for all of our lives. Maybe it's because the other 2 people in our grade were already best friends, or maybe it's because I had only just started that year at that school as a new student myself, but from the instant we first introduced ourselves, I knew two things: 1) I was comfortable with you and could always be myself around you, and 2) we were more than "fair-weather friends." It was a friendship that would stand the test of time, again and again. Even still, we can go months and months without contact, but the moment we see each other again, it's as if no time has passed (except for the amount of talking we have to catch up on!), and we immediately fall right back into that safe haven, that comfort zone. I thank God often for the day he brought you into my life.

I do have to confess, though, that while I tended to be the louder one of our pair, and the one that loved to claim the spotlight, I was always in awe of you. In my mind, there was nobody as amazing as my best friend. (And looking back at how I used to be as a child, I still often feel that way, realizing how much you had to put up with from me! LOL) You talked to adults like equals (though still always with respect), and you used "big words" like "basically." To me, that was huge. It didn't matter that I was 5 whole months older than you, you were the one I looked up to and wanted to be more like. You have always had a grace and poise that I wish I could achieve but have always been too brash, loud and headstrong to accomplish. And your joy is pure. I know you love to dance, but do you want to know something? I love to watch you dance. You are so sincere and full of happiness and peace that you just radiate it onto everyone else around you that's paying enough attention to notice. I felt beyond honored when you let me go with you to a dance class once. I still remember how to do "the grapevine" step.

And I want to apologize. When your dad passed away, I know I wasn't there like I should have been. I wanted to be, and I tried to be, but I didn't know how. I had never before known anyone who's parent had died. You say that knowing that I was there was enough, but I still wish I could have done more. I wish I could have said the right things, what you needed and wanted to hear. To have given you a hug at just the right time. It was an awkward subject for me, but I can't even imagine how hard it was for you. I'm not sure how many 9-year-old's would have known how to act, but I have mentally kicked myself for years over handling it all as poorly as I did.

From writing notes on "cow-tongue paper" to swinging on the swings together at recess. From overnight stays at your place where we had to talk super quietly or we'd be heard through the thin walls (and I'm sure your mom realized we were talking, even at our quietest, because, let's face it...my quiet is not that quiet and your mom is one smart lady!) to dancing with sleeping bags at 3 a.m. From baking food-colored chocolate chip cookies to playing a silly game with a carrot taped to a baseball cap. From belting it out as loudly as we could in choir class to participating in a community musical (to which I still remember some of the lyrics!). From melodramatics to growing into adulthood and realizing that what seemed earth-shattering as a child was really only overreacting. From glasses to braces. From dressing up in prom dresses and going out with the group to swing dancing. From giggling about cute boys to first kisses. And from first kisses to me getting married and having my own kids. You've been there through all of that. I've never really understood what it was that you got out of our friendship, and looking back, I see myself taking so much but not giving nearly as much back into you. But whatever the reason you hung around, I'm grateful for it. I know that, as cliche as it sounds, I would not be the person I am today if not for having you in my life. I've learned so much from you and your example. I may not have been right in placing you on the pedestal that I did when we were younger, mistakenly thinking that you had it all together, that your world was perfect, and that you were what I should aspire to be, but I am eternally grateful that you stuck around me as long as you have. I love you and I am blessed to call you my best friend.

~ Your "Little Donnetta"

30 Days of Letters Challenge

So yesterday, when I was on Facebook (as I so often am! LOL), a friend of mine shared this note:

 

 

I was inspired by another (great) blogging friend to do this challenge after I saw hers. I googled it & found the list online.. I may not get the letters done in exactly 30 days (but who knows, I love to write.) But I can't pass up a good challenge, I love to write... especially when it comes to matters of the heart. So here is the list below of the topics. I haven't decided if I'll name names (because I"m going to be posting these online.) I may or may not send them to the person I'm writing to... because I think, that some of these topics, aren't meant for those people... but for some healing in my own soul. I'm excited to do this...

The list of letters to be written:

My best friend

My crush

My parents

My sibling

My dreams

A stranger

My ex

My favorite internet friend

Someone I wish I could meet

Someone I don't talk to as much as I'd like

A deceased person I wish I could talk to

The person I hate most or who caused me a lot of pain

A person I wish could forgive me

Someone I've drifted away from

The person I miss the most

Someone who's not in my state/country

Someone from my childhood

The person I wish I could be

Someone who pesters my mind

The one who broke my heart the hardest

Someone I judged on a first impression

Someone I want to give a second chance to

The last person I kissed

The person who gave me my favorite memory

The person I know is going through the worst of times

The last person I made a pinky promise to

The friendliest person I knew for only a day

Someone that changed my life

The person I want to tell everything to, but am afraid to

My reflection in the mirror

I think it's a really great idea! The thing is, though, I'm not a "halfway person." When I open up, I'm all out there. With me, it's left or right, black or white, one extreme of the pendulum swing or the other. I have always had a hard time toeing the line of anything.  I really want to do this (though I'm sure it would not be completed in 30 days, with housework and mommyhood and such), but I'm not so sure that I want to do all of them. I'm also not good at making myself vulnerable...especially to the public at large. So in the near future, you'll be likely to see at least some of these seemingly random letters to people (I'll probably still write the other ones as well...just in a journal or something)...well, this would be why. LOL Do you want to join in on the challenge? I'd be glad to have some company!

Back to Blankets

For the longest time, nearly all I made were blankets. I'd stick in a movie and sit in front of the TV with my yarn and hook, and by the end of a couple of movies, I'd have completed an entire round ripple blanket. (In fact, you can read about a massive amount of them that I made in this post.) It's been a while since I've made any of those...

Right now I'm in the middle of 2 scarves for a Knit-A-Long, but the next part of the pattern (it's being released in weekly increments) isn't due to be out until Saturday at midnight (so I guess that would technically be Sunday morning), UK time. That leaves me with 3 whole days (counting today, of course) with no scarves to work on! I don't have a swap going on at the moment, and it's been a while since I've done any crafting to donate anywhere...so when I saw my friend Tammy's request for help in making blankets, it clicked inside me that that's what I should do! :) I've made a blanket for her before, a few years back, but then things got super crazy and busy (The Husband coming home from Korea, moving to Italy, raising a 1- and 2-year-old...), so that was the only one I ever sent her. But now, I can take some time (and use up a large portion of my acrylic yarn! YAY!) to make more! :D Hooray! So today, I started in on my first round ripple blanket in over a year:

I wonder how many I can get through before life starts to get hectic again? ;)

Determination

Dora the Explorer: What do you want to be when you grow up?
A: I want to be a teacher when I grow up!
C: I want to be a mad scientist when I grow up!

Both of my boys made those proclamations with the same level of enthusiasm and excitement, jumping up and down as they did, unable to contain themselves at the thought of being whatever they put their minds to.

Really? A mad scientist?....Hmmm. Well, C is just far too cute, so I think we'll have to get him a wild wig and work on that cackle before he achieves that dream...

My boys cannot (accurately!) be described as having no imaginations. From sun up to sun down (and often times outside of those boundaries, too!), they are constantly fighting off bad guys with Kame-Hame-Ha waves and "mastery" of martial arts, not to mention the "superpowers" that seem to manifest themselves at will. Raising two boys is nothing short of an adventure in and of itself. In fact, just this morning, while A was awake (and waiting for Mommy's alarm to go off to wake up to get him off to school), I laid in bed and kept hearing a "run, run, run, THUMP" noise.

Me: "What are you doing?"

A: (exasperated at my lack of observance skills) "I'm trying to fly, Mama!"

Oh, what a world he lives in...he knows he can do whatever he sets his will to, and he often reminds me of that! ("I can do anything, Mama!") What a sad day it will be for me, though, when he realizes that he can't just take off into flight like a bird on a whim...

Wordless Wednesday