It's the most wonderful time of the year....

3 Screwballs

Before I dive into why I do a little dance each morning as my children get on the school bus, I have to show you all this picture. A few weeks ago we spent the day at Blake's house, babysitting, and the boys watched Shrek in 3-D.

I wanted to show you this picture that very day, because this is a picture that must be shown, but it was being held hostage inside my cell phone.

This picture has nothing to do with anything I want to share with you today, but just look at those 3 boys for a minute.

Completed Socks!
Kristin's purple Narragansett socks and
Tiffany's New Year's Lights socks

Anyhoo--as I was saying, school is back in session. And having my boys spend 6 hours a day, apart from each other, in different classrooms, is the best thing that could have happened to our family right now. For the last couple of weeks, they have done nothing but fight. They are sick of each other, sick of me, sick of their best friends the neighbor kids who they saw every single day this summer, sick of this house....they are both loving school. And then they come home completely exhausted and by dinner time are fighting again. Perhaps boarding school is the answer?

Eric is becoming much more confident in his old age, being a big 1st grader and all. He has been standing up to his bossy older brother a lot lately and laying claim to what he feels is rightfully his. And Ryan doesn't like that at all. No siree. Things were much easier around here when Ryan ran the show.

And recently they both ramped up the dinnertime arguments, complaining incessantly about each and every single solitary thing they are served. Treating us as if we poisoning them. Cries of despair. Every. Single. Night. And we're talking about pizza. Tacos. Spaghetti. Not the liver and onions I had to endure at their age. So Mike and I lowered the boom and no one is allowed to say ANYTHING about what they are served. Not a word. Eat it or don't eat it. But say NOTHING. Unless you want to say "thank you mom for the delicious meal. May I have more?" you are not allowed to utter a word about the completely appropriate kid-friendly meal I have served you.

So yes, having both children in school full time--things can only look up from here.

As you can see, I did manage to finish 2 pairs of socks!

Hee hee hee hee hee

And holy toledo look at this chicken! It just needs eyes and a tail and then Lora, it's all yours! This chicken pattern was a lot of fun. So much fun, in fact, that we're going to use it as a Knit-A-Long for the shop. Which means I have to get going on my shop sample pronto. I envision a whole display window of chickens and it makes me giggle. I hope customers think it's as compelling as I do.

And in other happy news, my husband was a sneaky guy and bought tickets to the Keith Urban concert for this Saturday night. He bought them months ago, when we were jobless and destitute, so I have no idea how he pulled that off. But he did. And it was suppose to be a surprise, but he spilled the beans when I started reminding him about the dinner party we're to be hosting at the exact same time. So now dinner is at a different house, sans us, and I'll be hosting next month instead. I am actually very disappointed to miss this time with my dear friends, because I had to miss last month's dinner group as well, but with a ticket and license to drool, you won't hear me complaining.

I started babysitting 2 month old baby S yesterday, and he's lying here on the floor next to me right now, having a little conversation with me about how much he likes to kick his skinny little legs. So I better wrap this up before we have to walk to the bus stop and get those cranky boys. It's evil half-day Wednesday you know.

Making Progress...

Leah's Lilypad Socks

Hello people--I'm back. I have several things to share with you today, so prepare to be impressed!

1. Deer update: it seems the deer have taken my threats to murder them in their sleep seriously, as they appear to have moved on to greener pastures. Which means my tomato plants are laden with tomatoes and my rose bushes are short, but in full bloom. Any deer reading this, be for- warned--I shoot to kill.

2. I suck as a photographer. Jared Flood says that knitted items look best when photographed in natural lighting. So that is what I did today. I took all of the items I wanted to share with you outside and photographed them on the deck. Which apparently I did wrong because the sun was too bright and everything looks washed out. Whatever. If you squint real hard you can see Leah's finished Lilypad socks (see Leah, FINISHED).

Socks for Mom

3. I'm getting close on my mom's Mixed Berries Monkey Socks,

Socks for Tiffany

4. I'm starting on sock #2 for Tiffany...

Socks for Kristin

5. ...and I'm making good progress on Kristin's socks. Whew! That's a lot of socks! I'm a little embarrassed to tell you how much sock yarn I have left, thanks to Jane, but I will tell you that it's somewhere in the neighborhood of a baker's dozen....

Coffee Sleeve #1

6. I'm especially proud of this picture, being the worst of all the photographs I took today. Wow. This one is truly bad. But you still get the gist. My sister Emily has been hinting about coffee sleeves. Emily is a hairdresser. And more importantly, she is my hairdresser. And the irony is, she is one of those weirdos who never wears socks. Ever. Dead of winter--no socks. Here I am, oodles of sock yarn coming out my ears, and no point in gifting her with the only way I can afford to pay her (did I mention I never have to pay her?). So when she mentioned coffee sleeves, I remembered that my new Knitted Gifts book has a pattern for a great coffee sleeve. This first one I did in a charcoal gray Cascade 220 tweed (which is well hidden by the beauty of this natural lighting).

Coffee Sleeve #2

...and this second one I am doing in a brand new yarn called Brae Tweed, which is a merino, llama, and bamboo blend. I'm putting cables in this one, just to mix things up. This is a fair trade for a cut and color every 5 weeks, don't you think? No, I don't think so either, but it's a start!

One Step Closer

7. And finally, the piece d'resistance--I bought the pattern for the chicken this week. I think I shared this with you a few months ago, and it has been on my short list ever since I laid eyes on it.

Now, the original pattern, by Blue Sky Alpacas (and let's be fair, Susan B. Anderson) is fine. Cute, but not compelling to me. But when I saw that someone actually created this design and knit it up in these striking colors, well, there is no WAY I'm not going to make this thing! This has my friend, Heidi, written all over it. Between Christmas and her birthday, this will be gifted to her. And I can say all of this loud and clear on my blog because she will never ever read it.

Heidi is a dear friend. One of my best friends. And I don't believe she has ever read my blog. To be fair, I don't think she has ever read anyone's blog. Heidi cares less about technology than anyone I know (although she may be neck in neck with my mother, who can't find her own daughter's blog). So I can talk about Heidi and the gift I'm going to make her all day long on this site and she will never ever ever know of it. When I give it to her, she will be totally and completely surprised. Heidi Heidi Heidi Heidi! See--she can't hear me.

This particular chicken is made out of Cascade 220, which is so completely affordable. The pattern cost me all of $5.50, and the chart was generously made free by ElleM, who, let's face it, is a genius.

And now, I have 2 hours left of freedom before picking up my boys from their playdate. Then the fun will really begin when I take Eric to the doctor during rush hour to confirm his case of Fifth Disease (don't freak out people who have been around Eric--it's NOT contagious. I repeat, mother of Blake, NOT contagious). But since his rash currently makes him look like he's gone 6 rounds as a prize fighter, I'm thinking someone with an actual medical degree should confirm the diagnosis that I came up with via Shirley-the-neighbor and Cori-the-nurse. Rumor has it, the rash from Fifth Disease can last for weeks. Good thing they moved school pictures up to September 1st!

I'd love to stay and chat all day, but I don't want to. I'm going to bask in my last 2 hours of solitude.

That Old Adage Is a Crock

"No News Is Good News" my ass. Know what No News means? It means NO NEWS. It means we know nothing. It means I have oodles and oodles of time to allow my brain to fill with thoughts of Why?! Why haven't they called? What are they DOING over there? They said we would hear this week, which means I was expecting a call first thing Monday morning. Because I know that if I were wanting to offer a job to someone as perfect as my husband, I would want to call AS SOON AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE. It is now Wednesday. Clearly they have given the job to someone else and we will wind up jobless and homeless, living in a tent. Perhaps they found out about his inability to sweep. Maybe they caught a glimpse of the inside of his car. I know that would scare me off. This job is now dead to me. Thinking that will allow me to go on.

People, welcome to my brain. Enjoy the preview into the workings of an anxious, glass-half-empty, neurotic, fear-based 40 year old. A little sneak peek into my constant conversations with God, in which I ask, beg, plead, cajole, bargain, reason, and pretty much drive myself crazy with my inability to understand why we have been living our own mini version of the recession for the last two years and why it will never ever ever end and I will be forced to spend the rest of my life as a basket case because I wasn't suppose to spend this much time with my husband until he retired. And the day he retires I plan to get him a lifetime supply of golf lessons. WHICH I CAN'T AFFORD TO DO WITHOUT A PAYCHECK. So you see my dilemma.

To recap, Mike has applied for 489084989890284938787598043 jobs. He adds to that list daily. He has "networked" and "connected" and "Linked In" and "Facebooked" with every person he has ever met in his life. Think I'm kidding? This is a guy who connects with people he knows from elementary school on Facebook. And communicates with them regularly. There is not a person in his life that does not know that Mike is looking for a job. Any job. A way to spend 40 hours each week making money. So we can not only continue living in this cracker jack box we call home, but we can replace our dead garage door, our broken front window, and replace our disintegrated gate to keep out the deer that continue to eat my roses and tomato plants. I would shoot them but I can't afford a gun.

And then here comes a fabulous job. Really. This job is fantastic. This isn't just a way to kill 40 hours each week. This is not only a job for which is well qualified, but it is a job he would like. A lot. And he actually gets an interview. And it goes well. He is pleased with how he did. He thinks he has a shot. And I actually start to dream of the day I can purchase my own bb gun and pick off those rat bastard deer that suddenly think my back yard is an all-you-can-eat buffet. And then, because my brain has the special ability to always look for the absolute worst case scenario, that is where I have taken up permanent residence. I am a lot of fun to be around right now.

I know that in the whole scheme of things and the entire spectrum of problems I could be facing, this is manageable. A lost job can some how, some day be remedied. My next door neighbor just learned that he has Parkinson's. My 46-year-old-father-of-2-neighbor has Parkinson's. They are waiting to get in to a specialist, and while they wait he is getting to experience a whole myriad of symptoms that involve the inability to use half of his appendages. To put it mildly, they are freaking out. As well they should. So I do recognize that things in my life could actually be a whole lot worse. But people, I am done. DONE.

There. A picture of something I knit. Now, back to me. Today I will spend the entire day staring anxiously at my husband, who has this illness that causes him to remain calm in the face of danger and adversity, I will probably clean something, I may knit a baby hat, I will once again curse Dish Network for continuing to withhold ABC from their paying customers (well, mostly) on Lost night FOR NO GOOD REASON, and then I will go to bed in pretty much the same frame of mind in which I awoke this morning. And this is why wine was invented.

Still Here....

His Father's Son

Still here. No job news to report. Just thought I'd get that out of the way up front. Still searching for jobs--check. Still applying--check. Waiting ever so patiently for SOMEONE TO CALL US WITH AN INTERVIEW--check. Oh, sorry--was I yelling just then?

Other than that, life around here is, well, we're all still alive. The boys see Emily, Daniel, and Connor every single day. In fact, Connor is here right now as we speak. He did give us the courtesy of ringing the doorbell before entering and completely making himself at home this time. So that's something.

And it's all Pokemon all the time. The other day Ryan used his allowance to buy himself a Pokemon magazine with a master checklist in it. And being the son of a baseball card collector from way way (way) back, Ryan very systematically and methodically went through his entire collection of Pokemon cards and checked off each and every one with that skinny little left hand of his.

Sock Hat
Made with leftover
Mini Raggi sock yarn

I'm knitting baby hats for the shops by day (well, when I'm not folding everyone's laundry. And vacuuming up the dirt from my carpet from the entire neighborhood running in and out of my house 500 times a day. And picking up Pokemon cards from every surface of my home) and knitting for fun at night.

This is a baby hat I made for a pregnant friend out of leftover sock yarn. Pretty darn cute, if you ask me!

Lorna's Laces for Me

And this sock is for me, made from some of the Lorna's Laces my dear friend Jane gave me. Much of the yarn she gives me is going to others in the form of socks, but this colorway was for me and me alone. I'm hoping to make the mate someday.

Mom's Druid Mittens

I am so close to finishing mom's mittens,

Pat's Socks

and Pat's socks are coming along nicely.

More from Jane
Black Purl, Baltic Sea,
and Lily Pad

On Sunday my dear friend Jane showed up at the shop with more sock yarn for me. This is the 3rd time she has gifted me from her crazy stash of Lorna's Laces. I protested. She insisted. I reminded her that the Black Purl is her favorite. Apparently she had 4 skeins of it. It seemed to genuinely make her happy to give it to me.

Lately Mike and I have been the recipients of many such gifts. Random and unexpected gifts from people who feel led to help us out. Cash, clothing money (and I'm delighted to tell you that I have new spring pants to wear to work. In the spring. New spring pants. And it was no small feat finding those pants, being the size of a normal human being who is 40 and bore two children. Who ARE these people shaped like sticks who are buying these clothes?), plants for my pots, Safeway gift cards, picking up the tab for dinner...this seems to be a season when we are suppose to be receiving blessings from others.

I don't know about you, but I'm a pray-er. And these days I've been praying A LOT. And even though God isn't quite ready to give us a job yet, He does seem to enjoy blessing us through other people. So I accepted Jane's gift of yarn, because I have no money for yarn and it made her so happy to give it to me. And even though she doesn't know the half of what's happening in my life (apparently she doesn't do computers, so reading my blog is out), she is a blessing to me. She blesses me with her company every Sunday afternoon, and even though she knows how delighted I am by the sock yarn, she has no idea of how much it means to me right now.

I want Mike to get a job for many reasons. Many many reasons. I have a list a mile long of reasons why my husband needs a full time job. But high on that list is the ability to bless others the way they have blessed us. And honestly, before this big mess of unemployment and destitution, I'll admit that giving to others wasn't high on my list of priorities. Don't get me wrong. I'm not a horribly selfish person. I don't think I was stingy. I just was sort of looking out for #1. But seeing how people have been so incredibly generous to us--now I can't wait for it to be my turn.

Now I have to send Connor back from where he came and then figure out what to make for dinner for two people who have no intention of eating it. Maybe one of these days someone will bless me with a housekeeper and a cook. Now THAT would be a miracle!

I survived Spring Break

Seattle Center

Spring Break: Yes, I lived to tell about it. I was actually able to pick up a few extra hours at work, with the husband at home full time and all, and in the end we all did survive.

On Thursday of last week I took the boys and Emily-the-neighbor girl to Seattle Center for Whirlygig. They turn the Center House into a giant bounce house for about 3 weeks each spring and it's very expensive. Except on Thursdays when it is free. All three kids ran around the Center House in their socks for hours (blech) and stood in lines that were often longer than the end result. I took that golden opportunity to explain that the boredom they were experiencing is the exact same boredom found in the long long lines at Disneyland. The looks on their crestfallen faces has definitely bought me some time on the whole Disneyland issue.

We then walked over to the Fountain, which Emily and Eric had never seen. And they were fascinated. Completely enraptured by it. In fact, Eric declared that his next birthday party is going to be at the Fountain. Which it is so not going to be since his birthday is in February. But we have 10 whole months to forget about that dream.

Raha Scarf

The Job Search: Next topic. No, really, there is nothing to tell you about. Really. I have nothing to report. Zip. Mike continues to apply for jobs in numbers higher than I can count. He is continuing to network and schmooze and all that and it is getting us NOWHERE. We have a friend who really wanted to help us with our resumes and, clearly, mine needed much help. In fact, I want a do-over for all the jobs for which I have already applied since I clearly sent them the wrong resume. Aaaccckkk! Our friend has been incredibly helpful and has made me completely paranoid about each and every potential employer who has our incorrect, uninformative, loser resumes.

The Knitting: I finished the Raha Scarf from Nancy Bush's Knitted Lace of Estonia for someone very special. I used some Jaeger Matchmaker 4 ply merino from my stash, and I have to say it turned out very well. And I'm cracker jack at counting to 27 since I have now done that about 8567954 times.

I have one sock from about 4 different pairs and I'm trying to finish up my mom's Druid Mittens by Mother's Day (don't worry--she never reads this. No. Really. She never reads my blog. She keeps forgetting I have it). My knitting is rather unexciting these days, but it keeps me out of trouble

The Neighbors: With the spring weather finally finally finally here, the boys have spent a ton of time with the neighbor kids. They simply adore Emily and Daniel and see them almost every day. And on the other side we have 5 year old Connor. Eric and Connor are good buds and their conversations are filled with all things Pokemon and Bakugan. Connor loves being with the boys, and is the kid we always see peeking in our windows to see if we are home. Connor is the kid I found eating breakfast with the boys one day last summer when I wasn't paying attention. And Connor is the kid who apparently came over yesterday afternoon to play. When he opened our back door he discovered we weren't home. So apparently, just to make sure of that, he checked all of our bedrooms. And then went down to the kitchen, made himself a snack, and then went back home. I found this out today when his dad, Keith, came over to apologize for something I knew nothing about until he told me. And maybe my attitude about this is all wrong, but it just makes me laugh everytime I think about it.

That's all for now from job hunting headquarters. Pretty dull. Assuming we still have electricity, I'll write again soon.

Q & A with the Queen

Mike and the boys have left for a trip to Target, where the boys are planning to spend the money they earned picking up pinecones in Walter's yard, and feeding the other neighbor's dog, Ginger, over the weekend. Which means I have time to answer your burning questions!

Any news on the job front?
That would be a No. To date, Mike has applied for approximately 5498751987845784 jobs. Roughly. He's making good contacts, blah blah blah and I'm sure God has a darn good reason why interviews are not filling up Mike's dance card, despite my repeated requests. I would be delighted to know what that reason is. In the meantime, we're pressing onward in the job hunt. What did we all do before the internet? That is what I would like to know.

Does Eric really use The Snuggie?
Each and every day.

Seriously?
Seriously.

So Mike is done working his temporary job?
Yes indeedy. And, lucky me, this has started during Spring Break. I have ALL 3 BOYS here with me this week. It's like a family vacation gone bad. No one in this house is doing what they are suppose to be doing. Mike is not rushing off late to work, I'm not trying to convince Eric to get dressed for school, I don't have my designated Baby Hat Knitting Time while the 3 mess-makers are where they are suppose to be....today I spent hours in the yard while the boys ran themselves ragged all over the neighborhood (after picking up Walter's pinecones. In which he is sorry he agreed to 2 cents a pinecone since he apparently shelled out much more than originally budgeted. But since most of it went to his own daughter, I find it kind of funny). In fact, I was surprised to see the phone guy show up to fix our phone line that was apparently gnawed by small animals outside the kitchen window (perhaps the same animal that broke my birdbath. I'm developing a deep hatred of small animals. And big animals. But I digress) because it felt so much like a Saturday. But no, it's Monday and no one is where they are suppose to be. NO ONE IS WHERE THEY ARE SUPPOSE TO BE. I know that is grammatically incorrect, but it is SO TRUE.

You worked in the yard today? Does that mean is has finally stopped snowing?
Yes, 4 days ago it snowed, and today it's in the 70's. Both boys got sunburns and begged to play in the sprinkler. And by the end of the week it is supposed to be cold and rainy again. Seattle has apparently moved to the midwest.

As The Knitting Queen, are you actually knitting anything these days?
Let's see...Mike's Town & Country sweater is currently in a big heap. I have completed 1 Duet sock, 1 sock for Pat, 1/2 of a sock for Caroline, 1 mitten for my mom, and 1/2 of another Lorna's Laces sock, courtesy of my dear friend Jane. I think I'm too preoccupied with Mike's job hunt and our impending doom because I seem to be unable to finish anything I start these days. I have so many half finished projects that I really think I need to restrict myself from starting anything else. But as any knitter will tell you, the lure of the new project is always there. Especially when you actually have the yarn and the pattern. I could probably start 7 or 8 more projects. There are times when my stash calls to me. Loudly. But my knitting is so schizophrenic these days that adding one more project might make it spontaneously combust.

Did you know Keith Urban has a new album?
Oh yes. And guess who actually had enough money in her itunes account to get it....

Is Eric truly into Junie B. Jones?
Oh yes, that Junie B--she makes us laugh. Currently we're reading Junie B. is a Cheater Pants. Eric, that kid, is an enigma.

How is that baby, Blake?
We babysat Blake the other night. He has teeth, crawls, eats food--all that real baby stuff now. He is 10 months old (I think...is that right? Maybe 9 1/2. I don't know. I'm preoccupied, people!) and pretty darn cute. The boys and I read books to him before bed and that baby sat on Ryan's lap and listened to all of If You Give A Mouse A Cookie and Donald Duck and the Case Of the Missing Peanuts with more patience than Eric has.

I think those people will be returning at any moment. Sigh.....if I can magically make them all disappear again sometime this week, you may see me again. If not, then you'll know that I've smothered by the mess that can only come from 2 boys and their father during a week at home.

Talk to you later

Hello fellow readers. All 4 of you.

I will not be blogging today because I have to celebrate Veteren's Day by not sending my kids to school and staying inside with them all day during a rain storm. This celebration will include refereeing the Wii, cleaning up the cat vomit on my living room carpet, folding laundry, wrestling with my furnace that has decided, after Tommy worked on it twice, that it still does not want to work today (and my furnace is a big liar. After Tommy's last visit, it worked great until today. Liar.) and in general, NOT GETTING ONE SPARE SECOND TO MYSELF. And I ran out of half and half.

And tomorrow Shirley and I will play Hot Potato with the kids while we take turns attending school conferences. It's really nice that Ryan and Eric's conferences are 3 hours apart. That is so convenient for both Shirley and for me. So, I will not be blogging today. Since these 2 measly little paragraphs have been interrupted by my two pajama-clad Veteran's Day party-heartiers about 4 times.

I will say this. Classic Elite Alpaca Sox--not great for Jared Flood's Druid Mittens. I was so excited about using the Alpaca Sox! I splurged and spent birthday money on it and have tried the mittens twice. There is no substance to that yarn. It is soft and fuzzy and beautiful and luxurious, and I think I may strangle myself with it if I try those mittens a 3rd time. I ALMOST ordered the prescribed Jamieson's 2-ply spindrift. I was this close. And then, flipping through Ravelry, I saw someone make the mittens out of Knit Picks tweed sock yarn. I've never ordered from Knit Picks before but people seem to love their stuff. And the tweed sock yarn was only $3.50 a skein. $3.50!! So, I'll get back to you on this topic in about a week and tell you how my tweed mittens are working out.

I believe it's my turn for Super Mario Galaxy. Sigh....

To Do

1. Write blog post.

2. Put away King and Queen's clean laundry. There are currently 3 baskets of laundry cluttering up the royal boudoir and we can barely walk through the room. I noticed this morning that some of the King's laundry magically landed in his side of the closet. Some. And none of the Queen's. And all 3 baskets are still there. That was helpful. Thanks.

3. Sanitize our biohazard-like bathrooms.

4. Stare longingly at my unattended-to overgrown garden and cry.

5. Knit 4989 baby hats.

6. Take Eric to Target to pick out a birthday gift for his friend, Tyler, while trying to escape with only a gift for Tyler. Eric is strong, but I'm stronger. The King is no longer allowed to take the children to Target. Or Bartells. Or Safeway. Or past the popcorn stand at Pumpkin Carving Night at the kid's school last night after I specifically said NO because I bought them popcorn at the book fair earlier that day.

7. Invent a microscopic sized bazooka to eradicate the fruit flies that continue to plague my house despite the fact that we have been so vigilant about keeping no fruit around at all. All fresh fruit is in the fridge and the King has banned bananas from the house. Yet the fruit flies continue to grow in number. I actually have to keep a coaster over my glass of wine at night. That's how bad it is.

8. Post more lever shocks on Ebay. Evil Ebay. I hate you.

9. Vacuum. It's been a while.

10. Try to finish reading my overdue copy of World Without End before the library fines start to overtake the actual cost of the book.

11. Try to convince Daniel-the-silent-neighbor-boy to talk to me, or acknowledge my existance, while he spends the afternoon here.

12. In keeping with today's theme, bathe my kids. It's been a while.

13. Knit 890984 hats.

14. Fix Caroline's socks so that they fit her. Because apparently I forgot how to knit socks. Or her feet grew and she forgot to tell me.

15. Drink. After this list, I deserve it!

Mrs. Job

Mortifying event of the day: listening to the car radio too long while waiting to pick Ryan up at the front of the line in the school parking lot drop off/pick up area and having my battery die. Right there in front of all the students, all the parents screeching their cars around me, and Ryan's music teacher. And then calling my neighbor Shirley to come bail me out and the two of us trying to read my owner's manual and place the jumper cables in the right places so we didn't blow up both of our cars. All in the pouring down rain with 4 kids.

I did get some knitting done during my wait. Always looking for that silver lining. That's me.

I'm back

Hello friends, I'm back. Actually I've been here all along, but due to lack of internet connection this week, I have appeared invisible. With Walter's permission we are "borrowing" his wi-fi until we get things figured out.

Believe it or not, we've had a good week. A tremendous week. In fact, we might say it's the best week we've ever had. Which is pretty remarkable for a couple of destitute deadbeats. All that praying I've been doing? It works. Don't believe me? I'm living proof that it works. Really and truly works. People have been caring for us in remarkable ways. Some anonymously and some directly to our faces. Cash, gift cards, paying our bills, offering us ways to make money that we never thought of before to hold us over until these corporate jobs that Mike is applying for finally weave him through their 6 month long system....Mike and I feel like we're on this big adventure and we're actually starting to have a little fun with it.

Except for our dealings with Dish Network. Not so much feeling the love from Dish. With the generosity from some dear friends and family we have been actually paying some horrifyingly late bills. The other night I called Dish to pay our bill and see about changing our tv package to something more affordable. Something we have a snowball's chance in hell of paying, if you will.

After getting the lecture on my deadbeatness, I paid the bill and then asked to switch packages.

"But why? The package you have is so reasonable".

"Yeah, but I can't pay it. As you may remember from the lecture you just gave me"

"I just don't think we can go much cheaper than the $59.99 a month you're currently paying".

"you must have SOMETHING cheaper".

"Well, we have one for $42, but it's not as good".

"What is the cheapest package you have?"

"oh, you don't want that one. We have a nice one for $35".

"Cheaper"

"But you'll lose half your channels..."

"Yep, and pay half the price. I just want channel 5 so I can watch The Office. What is the CHEAPEST package you have?"

"Well, we have one for $29..."

"THE CHEAPEST PACKAGE YOU HAVE..."

"We do have one for $19.99. It's our family package. You'll lose most of your channels so I'm sure you don't want it".

"Does it have my local channels?"

"well, yes.... but....."

"Sold".

Making friends and influencing people, Dish and I. I'd like to have that conversation with our electric and gas company, but I don't think I'm willing to see what a cheaper package in that department looks like.

So I continue to knit, work, do laundry, and pray. Want to know the sad truth? I'm still recording Little House.

Progress

I'm making progress, people! Linda's socks are finished, have been mailed, and have been received. Check. Emily's fingerless gloves are finished and waiting for her. Check. The bag portion of Leah's Noni bag is done. Check. Cupcake hat special order-done and mailed. Check. The back of Ryan's sweater--I'll be able to check that off as soon as I learn to read the directions completely and accurately.

That still leaves Leah's other yoga sock, the flowers for Leah's bag, the rest of Ryan's sweater, and Ellie's socks. I lied to you. I told you that I wasn't going to start them. And then I did. I have no self control. And I wouldn't even be telling you this but Mike caught me. He was reading my blog the other night, where I specifically stated that I would not be working on Ellie's socks, and there I was, right next to him, knitting Ellie's sock. More muttering and shaking of his head. He seems to do that a lot when he's around me.

And baby hats, baby hats, baby hats. I absolutely will not allow myself to begin Mike's sweater yet. And I don't have the yarn for Baby Blake's sweater or Eric's, so I'm safe there. For the moment.

That's all I have for now. School starts in about 2 1/2 weeks. It's raining this week and the neighbor kids are on vacation, so you know how much fun the boys and I are having. Lot's of precious, valuable togetherness times. Because we never get any of that.

Where is the queen these days?

Where is she, you ask? Why does she not post with any regularity? I mean, c'mon--how hard can it be finding a few minutes to sit at the computer?

Well, let me tell you. I DON'T HAVE A MOMENT TO MYSELF. Oh look. Here comes Eric now. I set him up with his new Bionicle, his blanket, and Tom and Jerry, thinking that I could actually have a few minutes to post. And yet here he is, ready to tell me that Tom and Jerry is on and get one more snuggle. Which would be great and adorable if he didn't want to snuggle every 23 seconds. It is a Ryan and Eric marathon around here. All day, every day. With quite a bit of Emily-the-neighbor-girl thrown in. And the laundry....I can't even talk about it.

But wait--don't you have a holiday weekend coming up? Well, let me tell you. We will be going to my parent's house on Whidbey Island and one sister and her family will be there. Which will be fun and great and the boys will run themselves ragged while the grownups set up for the giant barn sale to be held on the 5th. Seriously. Giant. Barn. Sale.

My parents live in a farm house on 6 acres and my mom has an antique shop on the property which she opens each weekend unless she doesn't feel like it. And my dad has this humongous barn, which is a front for the workshop of his dreams. They invite vendors to set up and they post flyers all over the island. And each year my sisters and I are summoned to the island to help run the sale because my parents are not helpful at all. Not helpful. (I actually did not go last year because it was the day of the Keith Urban concert and I thought my mom would have a coronary. But I held my ground. And she was going to hold it over my head forever until she picked up one of his cds and then promptly forgave me). My mom never manages to price half of her stuff and then she disappears for hours on end--into the antique shop, visiting with the neighbors, an impromptu trip to the sale down the street....while we are frantically trying to call her on her cell phone to ask how much she wants for the antique linen thing that I know nothing about. And the message I end up leaving on her phone usually ends with some kind of remark about TURNING HER PHONE ON.

My dad, on the other hand, also not helpful. He loves the sales. Loves them. Because he gets to hobnob with the other islanders and show off his 3 tractors, 2 airstream trailers which he says he will refurbish some day, all the work he has done on the house, the random metal things he is selling...all the while we are searching the acreage for him because my mom, who swore she would not do this again this year, has disappeared and people want to buy their stuff.

So, that will be my Friday and Saturday. And Sunday I work at the shop. Where everything is priced and in its proper place and no one will ask me questions about my dad's portable chicken coop.

And the knitting? Dismal. I have just the sleeve left on the sweater and then I will block it before piecing it together and then crying because it doesn't fit. I have a list of about 20 hats to knit and I wish they all could have beads. All of them. I'm knitting a pair of socks for Mike's mom and I've completed 2 whole inches. Pathetic, really, how much knitting I have to do and how little time I have to do it.

My house is dirty, my kids are dirty, I have to pack, I promised my mom I would bake a cake...you know what? Want more posts? My kids spend the week with you and I'll write every day.

Critter Update

The bats have made their annual migration to the eaves over our breezeway into the mudroom. I get a friendly reminder of this each time Eric announces "watch out for the bat poop!" I guess I should count my blessing and feel grateful that the bats have not chosen to live above our front door.

The bear that was found just a few miles from our house has now been released back into the wild. Great. Because there is no chance it would find it's way to my neck of the woods. Our house seems to be sending out some kind of beacon to all wildlife. A bat signal, if you will. JEN LIVES HERE AND SHE HATES YOU. COME WATCH HER SCREAM.

I won't even get into the mole issue. I'm much more concerned about the creature that seems to be living in our duct work. Think I'm kidding? Mike, who gave up listening to me rant long ago, is the one who freaked out the other night. Mute the tv! I hear something! There it is again! And I was paying no attention to him until I too heard scurrying from the vent behind the couch. And then from the vent in the next room just a minute later. This should become very interesting in about 3 more days.

And of course there were the honeybees that chose to mate on my back deck door window. They can choose to make their sweet insect love in all of Renton, and they chose my window. At eye level. Where Ryan and Eric, and Emily and Daniel from next door happened to be watching and decided they all wanted to go in the back yard right at a critical, yet intensely private moment. How do you explain honeybee porn to a bunch of kids? All who are talking excitedly at the same time: What are they doing? Look at those two bees! One is on top of the other! They are stuck together! Yeah yeah, get your shoes on and go. Overt your eyes and go.

I'm going to start sleeping with a baseball bat and a can of Raid under my pillow.

This week sucketh

So, last week I was going to post a picture of Leah's birthday sock and I had started writing a posting about it, but it was looking a lot like George W. wrote it himself--that is how bland and incoherent it was. And then I still had nothing interesting to say, and still yet nothing interesting to say and, well, if you wanted to hear George you could have turned on NBC this morning, thinking you were going to see Day 2 of Where In The World Is Matt Lauer, and instead you get to see George having it out with a reporter who tried to cheat and ask a 2nd follow up question in the surprise press conference when apparently that was against the rules....sigh....

And I thought about just rewriting that posting using the same picture, but the date on this post would have been wrong, and that is unacceptable in my eyes, and it would mean reimporting the picture and, even though in the time it has taken to type all of this I could have done that, I just didn't. So you get a post with no pictures today.

This week. This week I have A TON of hats to knit. Miya from Willow and Bloom called last Thursday and said all of her hats were gone. All of them. She needs more--stat! Fine. I can handle that. This week is also the week I need to get ready for the garage sale Shirley and I are having on Saturday. At first it was going to be just me and Shirley. And then it was me and Shirley and her mom. And then it was me and Shirley and her mom and her friend, Julie. And now it is me and Shirley and her mom and Julie and half of our street. Which is great because a 6 or 8 family garage sale is much more appealing to the general public, but it also means I really do have to do this garage sale. So on my calendar I designated today as Garage Sale Set Up Day to force myself to do it. Which is why you are finally getting a new post. The first of many attempts to avoid the garage.

I also need to garden. It's spring, it has been raining, and things are finally growing like weeds. Including the weeds. I have spent the last few years putting some serious time into my garden and I refuse to let it go by the wayside. Which means I need to get out there. Also, after having our septic tank pumped last fall, there is some damage I need to repair and it is just taunting me everytime I look out the kitchen window. The birdbath is crooked and there are some serious holes that need to be filled and smoothed over. I also have some pavers that need attention. Could I do this next week? Or the week after? Will my garden disintegrate if I don't get out there this week? Well, technically, no, but....

And I'm out of coffee. So I'm drinking tea purely for the caffeine. I hate tea. And I could drive to Starbucks to get a latte, but that would mean getting in the car and driving to Starbucks. So I'm drinking tea. I hate tea. Did I mention that already?

Where am I on the knitting front? I'm almost done with Leah's 2nd sock. I presented her one completed sock on her birthday, which I think she is excited about, and have been working hard on sock #2. I just love working with the Pagewood Farm sock yarn. It's yummy. I was also able to present Leah with her completed convertible mittens and am now working on a matching hat for her. My sweater is still in a big scary heap and I have another class tomorrow. I'm knitting like crazy for Willow and Bloom and I have a couple of new ideas for Venue that I'd like to get started on. In my spare time.

I ripped out the Tilli Tomas scarf. I didn't like it. If I am going to knit and wear a scarf from the beautiful coveted Tilli Tomas Flurries, I am going to love it. And I was not loving this. I did a little research on Ravelry and found another pattern, that I just happen to have in my brand new Louisa Harding Knitting Little Luxuries book, and it was adorable. Using my exact yarn. So I ripped it out and have it "resting" for a bit.

I need a haircut, I have nothing to wear, Eric keeps taking toys out of the garage sale pile, and Ryan has already earned himself Wii restriction for being a total and complete snot.

Let's see--the bright side? Hmmmm....if it does not rain in a torrential downpour this Saturday, I hope to have my garage cleared of much crap after the garage sale, my customer loved her strawberry hat, so I guess it was not as evil as I had imagined, and season 2 of Robin Hood started this week.

Must go now. Laundry, pricing, and weeding awaiteth.

Spring Break Day 4

Here is a list of what has been accomplished during this highly productive Spring Break:

--I have knit 4 cupcake hats, part of a convertible mitten, and several inches of Leah's birthday gift, while watching House of Mouse, trying to watch Martha, and trying not to watch the boys argue over who gets to be Green Goblin when playing Wii Spiderman Friend or Foe.

--I have helped Ryan make his solar-system-in-a-shoebox for his Spring Break homework project. I really appreciate the childless 2nd grade team at Ryan's school coming up with something productive for the 2nd grade parents to do while the 3 of them actually enjoy their spring break.

--I have done more laundry than I thought possible. It seems to be growing. I don't know where it is all coming from, but it has clearly become a lifeforce unto itself.

--I have weeded approximately 1/100000000 of my garden during the 4 hours it has not rained during Spring Break.

--My boys have created several comic books, eaten me out of house and home, morphed into both Spiderman and Indiana Jones, reached a new level of Spiderman Friend or Foe, kicked each other, shot each other with the guns made out of the clay that was suppose to be for the solar-system-in-a-shoebox, and are currently, blessedly, happily eating a pancake breakfast during Pajama Day at Emily and Daniel's next door.

--Mike and I finished watching a completely hilarious-laugh-until-you-cry Season 2 of Arrested Development and are now watching the bizarre I-can-see-why-they-canceled-it-because-clearly-they-lost-the-magic Season 3.

This is what I want to know: all those kids who are in Disneyland for Spring Break--who are they hiring to make their solar-system-in-a-shoebox?

Something really bad must be coming....

....because this has been such an unbelievably good day.

The Wii: Our search for the Wii has ended victoriously. Mike has spent countless hours this week driving from store to store, checking multiple internet sites, and just narrowly missing the very last Wii each time. The rumors about Best Buy, Target, and Fred Meyer are that a lottery will be held on Sunday morning for any and all people insane enough to arrive at the store by 5:00 a.m. (and then there was another rumor that Target was going to be first come, first serve--who really knows?). Last night Mike and Meghan were on the phone strategizing (I completely checked out about a week ago) and at one point the discussion turned to hijacking a UPS truck. No one loves a good hunt more than Meghan and she was even willing to stand in line at GameStop for us on Saturday morning because we have a Christmas brunch to attend.

30 seconds after Mike and Meghan hung up, our friend Mark called, asking if we were still on the prowl for a Wii. Apparently Mark has a colleague who knows someone at Nintendo and is able to buy products from the employee store. And somehow Mark was able to ask this colleague to buy one for us. Which he did. This nameless, faceless person used up a favor buying a Wii for us. Mike and I are practically giddy with excitement! We are now trying to figure out just the perfect way to give it to the boys.

The vacuum: Shirley's vacuum has been permanently returned to it's rightful home. I am the proud owner of a new Bissell-bagless-$129-it's-not-from-Sears vacuum. Although I still covet the Dyson, I am perfectly happy to be vacuuming with a working machine that is not from Sears. And when it dies 2 years from now I will very happily replace it, knowing I only paid $129 and it did not come from Sears.

Happy Delusions: I popped in today to pay my rent and check up on my inventory. Cinderella has sold! I was practically speechless when she told me.

My house: This is where my giddiness ends and I come back to reality. My house is a mess. A disaster, really. In fact, it's down right dirty. I think I have some time to clean it on Sunday.

The knitting: Again, a bit of a sore subject. It's the current reason for the state of my house.

Misc: I am living with a 4 year old, a 7 year old, and a 39 year old man who has been hunting to the depths of the universe looking for a Wii, at Christmas time. They are all making me crazy and I fully understand why my mom never saw the magic of Christmas the way we all did when I was growing up. I still have a ton of shopping to do, I have not even ordered my Christmas cards, let alone written the letter or even made a list of names. I may be sending New Years letters. For years Leah sent Epiphany letters, which I always found funny until now. I may be asking all of you to celebrate January 6th with me. I'm working a lot at Cultured Purls this next week, which is wonderful, except for the fact that I still have to purchase many of my gifts and actually wrap them. The thought of baking anything makes me laugh. And twitch. Oh yeah, and we're hosting Mike's sister and her husband for Christmas Eve. I wonder how they feel about pizza for dinner? Eric has already requested it, so I know at least he will be happy.

And currently Emily-the-neighbor-girl and her brother Daniel are here for the evening. Ryan and Eric have been acting like their long lost relative from Timbuktu is about to arrive, bearing gifts (or a Wii), rather than the people they see every single solitary day of their lives.

There is a Mike-arita in the fridge calling my name.

Weekend Update

So much to tell, and so little time! Let's begin:

The new job: It's fabulous. I love them and they love me. It sounds facetious, I know, but it's true. Never has my ego been stroked so much. I've worked at Cultured Purls for two days and they're already talking about teaching me to close up the store. They look at me in amazement, like they can't believe what a gem they've found, and I stand in complete amazement that I've found the perfect job. It's a match made in heaven. I know, I know--I've only worked there two days. I can't fully explain it, but this was meant to be. Anyone reading this who knows me at all, knows that I'm a glass-half-empty-kind-of-gal. NOTHING in my life is ever meant to be....

Venue, Zizia, and Happy Delusions: I am freaking out. I am slowly and steadily moving into a nervous breakdown (see, the happiness can't even last a paragraph). I actually did sell something at Happy Delusions and in January a more prominent spot is opening up for me, so that's something. At Venue I've already sold 7 hats for the month of December. That is about my quota for the average month. Unable to bask in my success, I immediately start to think HOW AM I GOING TO REPLACE ALL OF THOSE HATS WITH ALL I HAVE TO DO?! It's as if a red flashing buzzer is going off and the only way to turn it off is to replenish my stock. And Anna keeps calling me with special orders. Those damn viking hats. I never should have introduced them. They are a total and complete success at both stores and are in constant demand. One is fun to make. 6 of them are a royal pain.

Special orders: part of the reason for the freaking out. Christmas is 15 days away. I have the power to make or break someone's Christmas by the knitting of a baby hat. I also want to make Harry Potter book scarves for the boys for Christmas. I still have 4 special orders to complete by Christmas. Eek!

The search for the Wii: ok ok, I haven't actually posted about this yet, but you should know it partially responsible for the freaking out. Mike and I decided we would like to give the boys a Wii for Christmas. What Mike and I should have done is purchased it last July. Because now everyone, and I do mean everyone, is giving a Wii for Christmas. Mike routinely stops in at Fred Meyer, Best Buy, Gamestop, Fryes, Target...anyplace selling electronics has had a visit from Mike and has had the pleasure of telling him that he just missed the last one in stock by mere minutes. I was at Costco today and saw several people clutching them to their chests as if they were sneaking their newborn baby out of war torn Baghdad. It goes without saying that I was not one of the lucky few. We do have a plan B and, in my mind I'm already there. But Mike is determined to get one of these things before Christmas Eve. Apparently Target will have a bunch of them early on the morning of the 16th. Mike says he is planning to go there at 6:00 a.m. that morning to wait in line. This is a man who wouldn't get out of bed that early if it were on fire, so this should be good.

My vacuum: still broken. About once a week I borrow Shirley's extra vacuum for a couple of days. It's a 20 year old Hoover which works better than my 4 year old piece of crap Kenmore did when it was brand new. Since I still have a boatload of Christmas presents to buy, I haven't had the extra $100 ($200? $300? $400?) to spend on a new vacuum. But I'm getting tired of carrying Shirley's vacuum around the neighborhood, so I believe that is what I will be spending my first paycheck on.

Clark and Ellen/Todd and Margo: their holiday show is in full production. The other day they sent notices around the neighborhood, explaining this is their gift to all of us and to expect a little more traffic. On their notice they explained that the light show will be held between 7 and 9, Thursdays through Sundays, from December 1 to December 23rd. Which is interesting because the light show goes 7 days a week, from about 5:30 until 11. Honestly, I don't care what their "hours" are, but they have this thing going all night, every night, so I don't know why they're telling all of us their schedule. Also, what's with the 24th and 25th? Are they saying there will be no light show on Christmas Eve and Christmas night? The entire reason for the existence of the light show? Adam and Meghan came over last night for a viewing. Apparently my description did not do the show justice. Frankly, they were horrified. And I could tell the completely random blinking pattern was really getting to Adam.

Mike put our lights up today. Ryan is really disappointed. He wants to know why we can't have giant blow up monstrosities. I think he's too young for the term "no way in hell..."

I don't work again until Saturday. I wonder how many hats I can get done between now and then?

Tis the season, I guess....

My house the day after Thanksgiving

I love National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. I'm not necessarily proud of this, but it's true. It's as much a part of my Christmas movie tradition as It's a Wonderful Life and The Bishop's Wife (I have many layers).

Do you remember Clark and Ellen Griswold's snooty neighbors, Todd and Margo? They were completely unfriendly and had that perfect house and hated Clark Griswold. "Todd and Margo" live across the street from me. My Todd and Margo have no kids and spend all of their time working on or around their house. They have remodeled everything there is to remodel, there is not a blade of grass out of place, they wash their cars more than I wash my kids. This is all they do. From dawn to dusk, 365 days a year, they are doing something to their house, their cars, or their yard. It has taken Mike a year and a half to remodel our barn, and it's not done yet. "Todd" built one from the ground up in a weekend. They are the uber homeowners and it's simply exhausting to watch them. And it's impossible not to watch them because they are always outside, from sun up to sun down, rain or shine, in sleet and snow, perfecting their already perfect domain.

I think they hate us. No, really, I think they do. And it's not just because our lawn is always in need of a good mowing. They are really unfriendly to us (and to be fair, everyone else in the neighborhood). For most of the year, while the rest of our little cul-de-sac is hanging out in the street and chatting about the latest yard projects during which Ryan, Eric, Emily, and Daniel are racing around and around the loop, "Todd and Margo" are pretending we are not there and sending silent vibes for us to GO AWAY.

Todd and Margo's house the day after Thanksgiving

And then, for reasons we still do not understand, around mid October "Todd and Margo" transform into Clark and Ellen Griswold.

At Halloween they become That House. While we have a few pumpkins on the front porch and a cute little harvest sign hanging by the front door, "Clark and Ellen" have transformed their perfect little domicile into a haunted house. Skeletons, ghosts, an 8 foot tall blow up grim reaper, a freshly dug "grave", the talking candy bowl with the creepy hands.....they seem to love it when Ryan and Eric come to the door in costume and they greet us as old friends. After Halloween the decorations come down and they go back to pretending they've never seen us before in their lives. And then Christmas hits.

This year Clark began decorating for Christmas about 2 weeks before Thanksgiving. Because he needed the time. We're somewhat familiar with some of their decorations from years past, but this year Clark and Ellen did some serious shopping.

It's a winter wonderland!

Frankly, we're confused. Shirley and I talk almost every day on the phone and the conversation usually starts with "are you watching this?! What is he doing now?!"

They have pulled out all the stops. These pictures do not do it justice, but I'll see if I can paint a picture for you. Keep in mind, all of this was in place before Thanksgiving and was in full swing on Thanksgiving evening. They have:

A giant blow up snowman, giant blow up santa which pops in and out of a giant blow up chimney, a giant blow up santa riding a Harley, 3 technicolor Christmas trees that play Christmas carols, light up moving reindeer, giant light up candy canes, medium sized light up candy canes, mini light up candy canes, a neon Happy Holidays sign, a red and green Snoopy windsock, and flickering flashing lights in all the colors of the rainbow strung all over the house, shed, and landscaping, all timed to flash at different and random times. And the thing is, they're not done. They keep pulling more and more out--I can see a giant light up snowflake propped up on their deck, just waiting to be hung.

These pictures are not very good but trust me when I say, this is the tackiest, gaudiest thing you have ever seen. Nothing matches, there is no rhyme or reason to it--it is so completely unlike "Todd". At one point I remarked to Shirley "maybe he's doing this because he hates me." She decided that he put way way way too much work in to it for it to be a big screw you to our side of the street. And while I do agree with that logic, I simply have a hard time believing that Mr. and Mrs. Perfect-in-every-way could lose all control and sensibility like this. I can't even imagine what their electric bill is going to be in January.

Today, the 27th day of NOVEMBER, I am going to put my fall decorations away and perhaps get my snowman collection out. We've decided to wait a week or so on the tree, being that it's NOVEMBER and all. I have a sweet snowman I hang next to my front door each year. I'm going to teach it to blow raspberries at the Griswolds.

Knitting, knitting, knitting, knitting....

It's me again--crazy knitting lady. Still knitting, still receiving orders for Christmas from people who apparently just got the memo that I knit. Last night at book group a friend asked how much advanced notice I need for a Christmas gift for her daughter. Leah piped up and said "4 months ago, before people knew she could knit!".

Aside from the 16 hats I still owe Anna (we've decided to put a hold on the rest of the booties, thank goodness, as the ones I have made have not sold yet. And part of me hopes they never do...), I have one more marley hat to make for Cori, a special order cupcake hat that I have not been able to make until now because I couldn't find the yarn, 3 cupcake hats for Erin at Mike's office, Meghan's blasted cake that is just sitting there like a big pink and white lump, and my mom's socks.

Today is Saturday. And it is one of those glorious Saturdays where we have NOTHING TO DO! Mike was going to mow the lawn, but it's been raining. I'm going to do very little housework because I have to clean later this week for Thanksgiving. So I think I'll just sit around and KNIT KNIT KNIT and then maybe later I will READ READ READ. And do you know what is scary? I can read and knit at the same time. Yes, I am that talented. In fact, I can knit, read, and drink a glass of wine all at the same time. But not until the evening.

Did you catch the part where I have to clean for Thanksgiving? Yep, I'm hosting Thanksgiving. It's been six whole years since I tried to serve my entire family undercooked salmonella laced turkey, and they have all agreed to try it again. Truth be told, I'm not a big roasted turkey/mashed potatoes kind of gal, so this is my chance to mix it up a bit. I will be serving turkey breast and ham. Yes, that's right, I'm serving a non-turkey meat item for Thanksgiving. My dad will complain about it the entire day, right up until the time he eats all of it. Much like the way he will complain about the appetizers and the way they fill us all up before dinner (frankly, that's how I make it through the holiday), as he is stuffing his face with everything laid out before him.

I've already warned Shirley that I need to borrow her vacuum on Wednesday night (Mike and I are still in discussion about the vacuum issue. I really want a Dyson. Don't have $500 to spend right now. The replacement part for my Kenmore is $149, but after borrowing Shirley's 20 year old Hoover, it became very clear just how crappy my vacuum is and I don't want to sink even $1.49 into it. And I hate Sears and have vowed to never shop there again. So I may just run to Target and buy an $89 vacuum to get me through the holidays and then in the spring I can buy a Dyson. I don't know. Any thoughts?) and there is no point in wasting time cleaning bathrooms that I will reclean in just a few days.

I believe my biggest challenge of the day will be convincing Eric to put on clean underwear.

I'm Back

Anakin and Spidey
Need I say more?

Yes, I know I know--I went to Audrey's Holiday Bazaar and then the 3 of you who actually read this blog never heard from me again. I have been meaning and trying to get to my computer since Friday, but, well, I've had a few things going on.

First of all--Halloween. Here are my boys--Anakin Skywalker and Spiderman. We did the trick-or-treating thing and now I'm eating all of their candy.

Friday: What did I do Friday? Oh yes. I brought the kids to school, went to the yarn store and did not buy anything fun or even anything for me, killed a bit of time at Barnes and Noble, picked Eric up from school, knit, picked Ryan up from school, and then babysat Emily and Daniel for the afternoon and evening as part of our date-night swap with Walter and Shirley. No time to blog.

Saturday: Mike and the boys dug a big hole in my garden so we could have a filter installed in our septic tank and have our pump tank serviced. My garden was ruined for septic maintenance. But really, can you put a price on septic tank maintenance? Do I need to go into further detail? While all of the boys were playing in the dirt, I was mulching leaves. About 1 billion leaves. Approximately. They all then left for a bit to run errands and I did more knitting for Anna. When they returned we completely cleaned out and rearranged the playroom. We sorted toys, organized papers, removed the giant train table in the middle of the room, created a drawing station for the boys, since all they do is draw when they are not battling the forces of evil with their light sabers, cleaned out costumes....this took hours. An entire Saturday came and went with no time to blog.

Sunday: After church I went with Ryan to a 6 hour birthday party. Literally, a 6 hour birthday party. I helped chauffeur 8 boys to the Rainforest Cafe for lunch, then to the movie theater for Bee Movie, then back to the birthday boy's house for cake and presents. We didn't return home until 5:30. I had a bowl of cereal for dinner. And a beer.

And now somehow it is 5:00 on a Monday evening and I refuse to let another day go by without reporting to you, my 3 faithful readers, about the bazaar. Mike is in the kitchen making dinner. I believe I will be served hotdogs. But since I am not in the kitchen making dinner, I will not complain.

My table at the bazaar

OK--here we go--THE BAZAAR!

The bazaar was pretty amazing. Audrey has a really large, beautiful home and she filled it with vendors. There were tables set up everywhere--the living room, family room, hallway, dining room, and in the big bonus room upstairs (where I was). She had people selling Southern Living, Silpata jewelry, framed art, hand painted pottery, hand made picture frames, candles, scrapbooks, hand bags...I don't even know what else. She had vendors everywhere.

And the food! Oh my word. About once an hour I went downstairs to fill my plate. Marinated pork, cheeses, yummy fried things with meat inside, crackers and spreads, and the wine....mmmmm.....oh and I can't forget the chocolate fountain with the cream puffs, angelfood cake, pretzels, cookies...All I can say is, Audrey knows how to throw a party. And I was just a little ill that night.

She must have had a good 150 people coming through the door . Seriously, this was no Tupperware party. This was an event. And how did I do? Well, I did ok. Yep, just ok. I made about $160 and did generate some interest, but I was hoping to sell about twice what I actually did. The entire event was really fun, but my area was a little on the slow side. I will do it next year if she asks me, but I really hope to sell more next time.

The good news? I was able to pull a few things for Anna, which did relieve my stress in that area a bit. I'm planning to drop some things off for her on Thursday. I have to say, as adorable as the booties are, not my favorite thing to make in bulk.

Tomorrow I'm taking two boys to the dentist. Which is about as much fun as taking myself to the dentist. And then I will knit...