Natural Easter Eggs

So this year we decided to dye our Easter eggs with dyes found in nature. By we, I of course mean me. I truly hate Easter Egg dyes. They are messy and gross. Sure the colors are kinda pretty, but why not try something different. We used spinach for a VERY pale green, red cabbage for a Robins egg blue, yellow onion skins for an orangey color, cumin for a light yellow, coffee for brown, carrott tops for a yellowy green, beets for a reddish pink, red onion skins were supposed to be purple, but they turned out a sort of brown, and golden delicious apple peels for a brownish lavender. The kids, mainly the youngest, had fun checking the process. These dyes take a little longer to develop their color than say a Paz kit, but I like the end result. We also read on some website when researching this that sometimes cream of tartar will enhance the color. We added some and it seems to give the eggs a sparkle like glitter. Pretty fancy! Enjoy the photos. TTFN, Miki

First let me start by saying I LOVE my Dyson. My husband freaked when he found out how much I had spent on it, but I was seriously tired of getting vacuums that just did not preform to standards, or running out of bags just before a party. So I think this give away is a great idea. I would love to win one for a very dear friend of mine that has allergy issues and has not been able to afford one. Or maybe for my mom who chose another brand because of its weight, but I don't think it is that great of a vacuum. BTW Dyson is sponsoring this give away which is also terrific. Thanks to Housewife for letting me know about it. TTFN, Miki

Matching socks is it possible?

A little while back I wrote about knitting socks that match. It frustrates me that people don't take the time to match a self patterning yarn so each sock lines up. Housewife said she was just glad her daughter wore socks, she didn't care if they were the same or not. Well, her daughter might like the ones I just knit for my youngest. They were knit with Moda Dea Sassy Stripes yarn, color 6946. I had purchased two balls of this yarn a few years ago to knit socks and never did. Now that I am buying higher end yarn, I didn't want to knit these for me. She wanted them and I figured that I would knit a "matching pair" for her BF, my neice. Now Moda Dea says you need to balls to knit one pair of socks. I had originally bought two, in the same dye lot so they would match. I grabbed one ball, and began knitting. The sock began knitting up different then I thought it would...but I continued. When it was done, I pulled out the rest of the ball to try to match the repeat. I didn't find a repeat...in fact the rest of the ball looked completely different than the sock I had just knit! I had a sock that would NEVER match another sock! J, my youngest daughter, decided that was fine with her. Now it is our little joke. In a way I think it proves the original point I was trying to make, that just because two socks are knit with the same yarn, doesn't make them a matched pair. Of course, it could prove another point also, that isn't mine. That socks knit with the same yarn are not supposed to match. Of course I realize this is an extreme case. On a side note, the second ball of yarn, matches the second sock, so something was wrong with the first part of the first ball of yarn. I plan on calling Moda Dea about this.

To continue this same idea a little further. Before knitting up the no match socks, I had started a pair for Hubby. They are knit in Austermann Step, Nacht Blue. I love this yarn. It has aloe in it. It is SO soft. The yarn store said one ball made a pair of socks. So I began knitting. Finished the first sock, pulled out the repeat and began the second sock. Got to the toes, and didn't have eonugh yarn to finish the sock. Went and looked at what I had pulled out for the repeat and it didn't match either. Now mind you, Hubby doesn't have larger feet. He wears a 10 1/2-11. If not for the repeat I would have been able to knit for him, but certainly not anyone with larger feet. I gave him the option to finish the socks with the no matching pull out, but he said he wanted the toes to match to. Now the difference in the blues for the toes would have been minimal, but he said no. So, we went back to the yarn store, and they were out of that color, so now we have to wait until they get more in. Am I being punished by the sock knitting gods for critisizing the non matching socks people were knitting.

I also have another pair for my BFF that match the last pair I made for myself on needles. Now they won't match mine exactly, because that is even a little too anal for me. But they will be close. TTFN, Miki

Seeing the World Through Rose Colored Glasses

I just read a post on a blog that I read regularly, and it got me thinking. Am I viewing the world through rose colored glasses? I like to think I see the best and people. Maybe I am just living a fantasy. Housewife thinks that unless our blogs are private for family and friends we should limit or maybe even eliminate the personal information on our blogs. After reading her post it made me think about how irresponsible I had been. Have I used my kids names? Yes. Had I mentioned things they did? Yes. Have I mentioned where they go to school? I don't think so. Have I mentioned where we live? Yes, that is in my profile. Are my kids safe? I hope so. As a parent I like to think that I have done everything in my power to keep my kids safe, but maybe I haven't. Do I frequently check websites to see if registered sex offenders live near me? You bet I do. Have I checked every single one of the kids' parents in my girl scout troop? Yep. Overkill? I don't think so. My sister had a father of one of her girl scouts on the list. He liked to hang out off to the side during her meetings. He never spoke with the girls, but they all knew who he was, so there was no stranger danger. When she found out that he was registered and not to be around children, she called his parole officer. Boy did that ever make his wife angry.

Now I have sort of lost my train of thought. Anyhow, this has got me to thinking...I need to be better about what is put on my blog, for the safety of my whole family. This for me started out as a way to stay in touch with family and friends, but has become something more than that. I am not prepared to make it private because I would lose the input of the few readers that I have, that I both enjoy and respect. Thank you Housewife for reminding me to take my shades off indoors. TTFN, Miki

New Sock Yarn

I finally ordered some sock yarn from Ray. He had recently done some new colorways, and I just couldn't resist. I ordered Blue Jeans, Doberman, and Milk and Honey. I thought about ordering the Rasberry Ice ( I think that is what it was called). But I didn't think I had enough pink to wear with it. Anyhow, I got them in the mail yesterday, and they are AWESOME! The colors are great and the yarn is soft. I can't wait to make socks out of them! If you haven't checked him out yet, please do. He has nice yarns at competitive prices, and great customer service. I had my order in two days! Plus you are supporting an independent bussiness man, and the American economy. TTFN, Miki

Fergie the Spelling Tutor

Somthing must be wrong with our world when we have pop stars/rappers, or whatever she, Fergie,wants to be reffered to spelling in their songs. Has the state of our public education system gotten so bad that in Fergalicious she tells us she isn't a slut, and I say REALLY? Then why are you rolling around in cake and frosting in barely any clothes in the video? Give me a break! Now she has a new song Glamorous and which she also needs to spell for us. TTFN, Miki

Posh Pooch

I just finished knitting Duke a new sweater. It is from the Posh Pooches knitting book. It is a baseball style jersey with Raglan sleeves. I knit it in left overs of Caron Simply Soft. The colors are dark green( sage I think) and pale yellow. Duck colors of course. Here isn't too sure he likes it yet, but he will adjust. Enjoy the picture. TTFN, Miki

Missing Tooth

Well it happened. Jacquelyn lost her first tooth last night. She was leaving Thinking Day(a girl scout event), bit into a fortune cookie and started screaming. I ask her if she bit her tongue. She screamed and cried something back at me. I told her she had to calm down I didn't understand did she bite her tongue. She screamed and cried some more and started looking on the ground. What she said sounded something like I think I just bit my tongue off and I can't feel it anymore. When I repeated that back to her, she laughed and began to calm down. Apparantly when she bit down, one of her bottom teeth moved and now it hurt. In fact, it loosened up a lot. Of course she would not eat as biting hurt. So today, we finally got the tooth out, and she was able to eat. Enjoy the picture! TTFN, Miki

Matching socks update and what kids choose to wear

First let me say I just typed this whole post, and then lost it. DANG! So, I started to type this post in response to a comment left by Housewife. (Thanks for reading and commenting.) She said that her daughter doesn't wear matching socks anymore, and sometimes her shoes don't match. The funny thing is, this doesn't bother me. My kids make many interesting wardrobe choices, including mismatched socks. Except for Gwen, who I think it would physically pain to do so. But, that is a whole 'nother story. I like to think that how my kids put an outfit together is a reflection of who they are and is a way for them to express themselves. In reality, they are probably just putting on the first things they grab.

My problem lies with those who make the socks, calling them a match pair. For me they match no more than to different blue socks, or two different patterns knit with the same yarn. These same people are constantly worrying over seams on garments they have made, and saying it is the attention to detail that makes the difference in a hand made garment. However, they don't take the time to find the repeat in the patterning in the yarn and start the second sock from there.

More about kids and there clothing choices. About a month, my family and I were walking through IKEA. I overheard a couple behind me talking. My husband says this is a bad habit of mine, I say they were invading my auditory space. ;) Anyhow, the guy says to the girl, "you would never wear tennis shoes with a dress would you?" I didn't hear her response as I was somehow distracted by someone or something. It was until later that I realized he was talking, rather loudly, and rudely in my oppinion, about my 7 year old daughter. Jacquelyn had that day chosen to wear a very pretty red velvet dress with a pretty satin ribbon, and red Converse hightops. Now give me a break...ok, it looked a little crazy, but she is 7! And at least she matched and was clean. I mean it wasn't like she was 35, and going to a gala...but so what if she was. Really at least at 7 she has already figured out that sneakers are way more comfortable than dress shoes. I mean I keep forgetting that and forcing myself to wear heels for any important event we go to. TTFN, Mikalan

Knitting socks that match

Is it just me, or is it wrong to knit socks, that while are made using the same yarn, just don't match. Nothing bothers me more than when people hand knit socks with self patterning yarn and they don't make the socks look the same. Now I know, from experience, that it isn't the easiest thing to find the repeat and work from there on the second sock. Then there are the people who do two socks at the same time one knit from the inside of the skein, and one knit from the outside. But come on people, they don't match unless you match the repeat. It is this attention to detail that I think makes all the difference. Am I alone here?

Here are some pictures of a few of the things I finished knitting. Gwens poncho is knit in Lion Brand Jiffy in a sort of Rose color. The poncho is VERY thick and warm. The blanket is for Craigs boss's new baby girl. It is done in Simply soft in lavender, mint(or is it light sage) and ivory. The bag is for my sister in law Stacy it is knit in Cascade 220 red and black and then felted. I then needle felted a letter "S" on the back, or is that the front. It was my first attempt at needle felting. It didn't really turn out the way I thought it would, but I like the results. I hope she does too. TTFN, Miki

Oh yeah...and sorry the poncho pictures are sideways...My computer wasn't lettin gme turn them. Maybe I can edit it out later. -M

Yarns I want to buy

So I know it has been awhile since I last blogged. My kids keep me soooo busy. So I just wanted to really quickly give a shout out to someone who I "met" on a yahoo knitting group many years ago. He lived in New Orleans, and is a Katrina survivor. He has since moved to Houston, and has refocused his life. He is now creating and selling hand painted/dyed yarns. They are very pretty and reasonably priced. Anyhow...check them out at Knitivity. I am waiting to buy some sock yarn, as soon as I get caught up on some other projects, and destash a little. I really like the Amethyst, Wading Pool, and California Blush. Another bonus is, that the yarn you buy is unique. I mean he may have some similar, but not like a mass marketed yarn from a large company. I think that is kinda cool. TTFN, Miki

How time flies

I just saw that it has been since Dec. 14th since I last blogged. Shame on me. Anyhow it has been a crazy sorta month. First the harddrive died(yes again) on my laptop. I am still waiting for the new one. I am less than happy with Seagate right now. Then the harddrive went out on the desk top. We had been having problems with the desk top, so I really didn't mind replacing the drive. Then just this last weekend while driving on I 95 home to Richmond from DC, our car just died. So not cool. We had to towed two miles to Quantico, stayed in a hotel and rented a car the next day. So $500 later, we had it at the mechanic. Now mind you, we had just gotten the car back from the mechanic, and he replaced an upper radiator hose. We had been having a coolant leak, and he thought it may have been the water pump, but decided it was an upper radiator hose instead. A couple of days later the mechanic in Quantico determined that it was the timing belt that had broke, and that the water pump was leaking. $600 later we would have a car we could drive the 80 miles home. The mechanic then also found that the tensioner was broke, which was what caused the belt to brake. So we drove home with a repaired car, and the mechanics promise that if anything were to happen he would fix it, even if it meant towing it back to Quantico. Well considering that the car is 15 years old, and we had been talking about buying a new one, we went through the "fun" process of car shopping. Now mind you we weren't buying new, more like 5 or so years old, and we had a "cap" as to what we were willing to spend. We did not want to get financing, as it is really nice not having a car payment. Unfortunately, we didn't have all the cash available right away. We were hoping that Craigs dad's house would sell and we would use part of that money to buy a car. But now we felt like we couldn't wait, so we decided to sell some stock. We knew that we wouldn't have the stock money until next week, but did that stop my husband? Not at all. He decided to go to Richmond Auto Auctions without me on Thursday and bought a new Expedition. Needless to say I was a little angry that he didn't even call me, and that I had no say in the car that I was going to drive. Plus there is the thing that it had to be paid for in full by Monday, and we wouldn't have our money until Wed. . So, it ended up taking just about every penny we had until the money comes in. So just when the story starts to sound good, it gets bad again...kinda. While driving home from picking up the new car, the old car broke down again (same problem I am guessing). The mechanic after being called, said he would drive down on Monday(today) and fix the car. Well he didn't come today, so we will need to call him tomorrow. I just need it working so we can sell it. I am ready to cut my losses on this one and to move on. In the midst of all this I have been knitting and finishing projects and starting new ones, which I will update when I have a spare moment. TTFN, Miki

Frosty the Snowman

Well I have finished my snowman ornament. I think he turned out pretty well. His scarf may be a little long...but oh well. Gwens was just about done, but while messing with his hat last night she broke the ball. Then this morning at breakfast Cory's got broken also as they were playing with it. The kids' still need a little work, and a few bottoms, but I posted pictures any way. I have them sitting on top a shot glass so that they will sit upright for the photos. -Miki

Clarece's snowman

Jacquelyn's Snowman

Gwens snowman

Clareces snowman profile. Look at the twist in the carrot nose.

My snowman...lets call him Frosty.

Cornells snowman

The Stockings Were Hung By The Chimmney With Care...

So here are photos of the finished stockings hung by the fireplace. We got a new camera a few weeks ago that I am still trying to figure out. I am not pleased with the flash, so the pictures may be a little darker than I like.

Here is Clareces'


Here is Jacquelyns'


Here is Cornells'


Here is Gwens'


Now I have a year to do mine, Craigs and one for Duke. That should be easy...not! TTFN, Miki

Crafters ADD

I have recently come to the conclusion that I have a from of Crafters ADD(attention deficit disorder). I love trying all kinds of new projects, but seem to become distracted when I see something new I want to try. This leaves me with many projects going on at once, and taking many years to complete some projects. I love the "thrill" of starting a new project and seeing how it will turn out. Once I get the hang of a particular technique, or I can see how the project will finish, I become a tad bored and have a hard time motivating myself to finish the project. Then I start something new. It has been one of my goals this year to finish many of my UFO's. I think I have done a pretty good job with it. However, I could have finished them all had I not snuck other projects in also. My sister asked me the other day if I had finished my felted needle case yet as it had been the same on my progress bar for ages. I laughed and told her no, but I had knit a few pair of socks, and some glass cozies and a few baby blankets, and some other things that never even made it to the progress bar. In truth if I listed everything on my progress bar that I was working on, it would be a joke.

This weekend I had set a personal goal of finishing the kids' stockings by Sunday night. Well, instead of working on them on Saturday, I decided to make some snowmen ornaments. I had seen the idea on Carol Duval's program and already had most of the supplies from another incomplete project. I figured the kids could help. They are made with a glass ball on the bottom and a styrofoam one on the top. The glass ball is filled part to most of the way full with "snow" (shredded plastic). You then embellish the balls to look like snowmen. I will post a picture when they are done. The kids started making Fimo carrot noses. I was filling the balls. On the last one, I was attaching the styrofoam ball, and the glass ball shattered in my hand. I cut everyone of the fingers on my left hand. I was lucky though, because I wasn't wearing protective eyewear and that could have been bad. I probably should have had protective hand wear on also. I took a pretty good chunk out of my thumb, and had to remove many fragments from other fingers. It was very reminiscent of this summer and the whole frame fiasco. The kids were upset to see my bleeding every where, and my husband chastised me from work. Oh well....so they didn't get finished. I did however work on knitting little scarves for them, but they didn't get finished either. Sunday I spent the evening sewing the stockings together, and pulling the basting stitches out. Today I put the hangers on them and they are DONE! Yeah!

The stocking is done!

So, after working for hours trying to get Jacquelyn's stocking done, I have finished stitching it. It turned out really nice. I will post a picture of it after I have it sewn into a stocking shape and hung with her brother and sisters. My goal is to have that done by sometime Sunday.

Here is the funniest part of the whole stocking thing. The pattern I chose was from a kit, and like most kits it has a picture on the front of the finished project complete with personalization. Of course the personalization is generic. In this case the name is Duncan. Well, Jacguelyn realized that it didn't say her name on the package and became quite distressed. Craig told her that it wasn't a big deal that her secret Christmas name was Duncan. Well strangely she fell for it, and has told us that on Christmas she wants us to call her Duncan. I explained that I could change the pattern and put her name on it and she told me that she wanted her Christmas name on it. Well, of course I put Jacquelyn on it instead of Duncan, which dissapointed her and her father, but they will just have to get over it. I will put the name Duncan on all her gifts though. That should make her happy. TTFN, Miki

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today is my 35th birthday. So far it feels like any other day. My kids are real excited about it though. So excited that I had to open my gifts first thing this morning, even before breakfast. They bought me a Moms devotional, a top with a lace inset, a blue tooth headset for my phone, and a leather jacket. I think this may be the first occassion ever that I didn't get any jewelry from them. Wow!

Later today some of my girl friends here in Virgina are taking me out for lunch. That will be fun. Of course over the next few weeks it will just feel like a weekly occurance as we have three birthdays over I think 3 weeks. And then a fourth one a few weeks later.

Tonight I have a Girl Scout leader meeting, so no real celebration. I just hope that the package my mom sent from Oregon gets here as she baked me an applesauce cake and vacuum sealed it. She did this two years ago when we were in Minnesota, but not last year. Just so its out there and my mom doesn't sound crazy, she always makes me an applesauce cake for my birthday. Well except for last year. When we were in Minnesota that was the first time we werent living in Oregon, and so she sent it to me. She even sent the frosting. All the kids had to do was frost it. Of course they got a little carried away and add all kids of sprinkles and stuff. It really ended up looking disgusting, but it tasted sooooo good.

Looks Yummy huh?

Well I am off to do the things I need to do, like finish Jacquelyns stocking, TTDN, Miki

Gwen's Cheer Socks

Well now that football cheer season is over, I have finished Gwens cheer socks. Oh well there is always next year. I knit socks to go with her uniform, for before a competition. She isn't supposed to wear her cheer shoes unitl she is warming up to go on the mats. This helps to keep them a pristine white color. So the plan was to knit these great socks and get her a pair of black crocs to wear with them. Well we got the crocs. That was the easy part. Of course had I really worked on the socks to get them done they would have been. But they were just a side project for me. You know how my attention span is and all. So now they are done. Yeah! Sorry for the picture. I just couldnt capture the color the way I wanted, and it looks a little blurry, but that could just be my eyes.

The yarn is Lion Brand Magic Stripes, Lumberjack Black colorway.

And for my next project...socks for me. No really this time I mean it. I am sure they wil fit me this time, and Gwen will not get them. I am knitting them in Lion Brand magic stripes, Regatta Blue Stripe colorway. I am about half way done with the first sock. After that I owe my husband a pair. He will be getting my first pair knit with AWESOME sock yarn. He chose a yarn that he found at the Yarn Lounge in Richmond, that has aloe and jojoba oil in it. The yarn is Austermann Step. The color is 4, from what I can tell. My description of the color is a varegated grey, light blue. I can't wait to see how these knit up.

Thats all I got, so TTFN, Miki

State Competition

Well Cheer is over...for football that is. I am not sure when basketball starts, but it will be soon. I had promised pictures of Gwen's hair, but for some strange reason, never posted them. It take about 2 hours to wrap, and my hands are super hairspray sticky after, but it sure looks cute.
In curlers

Curly




Today was our last competition. Virginia States. The girls have worked very hard the last few weeks in preparation for this competition. It was an all day event, with many different categories that I couldn't even dream of trying to figure out. Out "senior" squad placed first in their category, and we...drum roll please placed 2nd. This was out of 6 teams, and our girls looked great. Here is a picture of Gwen holding the team trophy.




I also took a few pictures of them doing their routine. In the first one, Gwen has her back to the camera, as she is the front support for the stunt group.


In the next one, she is in the back row, on the right side.



For the last one, she is also in the back, on the right.


So after a long day of cheer I am totally wiped. TTFN, Miki

Happy Halloween!

Here are my little goblins...er, children in costume. Enjoy!

Jacquelyn as Princess Leia


Gwen as a Vampiress


Clarece as herself, I mean a devil


Cornell as a gangster

A weekend of cheer

First there was Saturday. A normal game and cheer day around here, except it was home coming. For me this is strange because these are only children. We didn't have home coming until highschool where I was from. Well they do it all here. They have the game, they have a memory book, or this year it is a picture cd, I am going to guess it is set to music. At half time they announce the prince and princess for that age level, or king and queen if you are at the senior level, and then the respective royalty ride in the back of a convertible and toss candy to the crowd. In some years they have even had a parade around the track. While I have to admit it was cute, it almost seems like too much. When do our kids get to be kids, and what do they have to look forward to in highschool if they were a home coming queen as a first grader?

Anyhow that aside, my sons team won their game, and that put them into the playoffs with a record of 4-4. Just when I thought we were done with football and I could focus on only cheer for the next few weeks, football continues.

After the game on Saturday we came home and set Gwen's hair for her cheer competition the next day. She has to wear it in a pony tail reminiscent of I Dream of Genie right smack dab in the middle of her head, then we have to curl with pink perm rods and tiny little sectins of hair, the pony tail. Oh but wait lest I forget, it requires tons of gel and hair spray. You have to spray each strand before and after rolling. Goodbye ozone...its been nice knowing you. The end result is cute, but harsh on hair, the environment,and of course your time in the day as it took about 2 hours to roll. Then she had to spend the rest of the day with a turban like bandana wrapped on her head. Now those of you who know my daughter know how much she liked that. She didn't want ANYONE to see her looking like that. Of course it didnt matter that over a hundred girls in our area also had their heads looking like this. I wanted to take a picture, but I forgot...next time...cause we get to do this for 3 more weeks! Yeah!!

So, Sunday was consumed with competition. We arrived at VSU(Virginia State University) around noon and left at about 4. Our girls took third in the age and size category. IMHO, they were better than the second place team who had crooked lines, and dropped a girl on a lift. But of course the judges may have seen something I didn't, and then again, maybe there is a whole degree of dificulty thing that you see in other like sports. All I know is that the mothers I was sitting with expected us to get second place, and then were shocked when we got third, and they have all done the competitin thing before.

I did take some video...remember it is on my camera, so no sound...sorry. Also it is from a ways away, no zoom. I think Gwen is first on the right in the back row. I really need to pay more attentin to where she stands. This is not the whole routine, but the portion I could film in 15 seconds. Like Cornells football video you need to click on the box for it to take you to photobucket to view. Sorry. Enjoy the video. TTFN, Miki

I LOVE Halloween

I love the colors of autumn, and jumping in piles of leaves! The best is however, Halloween. Dressing up in costumes, and becoming a character for one night. Candy is good too, but I am too old to trick or treat. So I live vicariously through my children and now my dog. I usually make all my kids costumes. I have a problem spending upwards of $30 per costume, on poorly made articles that barely last one night. Sure I may spend a little more, and there is some time involved, but my kids end up with great costumes. That is not to say I have never purchased a costume. Sometimes it is easier, and sometimes it is the only way to get the desired effect. One year my son was superman with all the muscles. I couldn't make muscles....well I probably could have, but that is another story. A few years ago, Jacquelyn was Sully from Monsters Inc., I couldn't make that blue furry thing as nicely as what I found at Target for only 20 bucks. But I digress. This year I am only making Jacquelyn's costume. She is going to be Princess Leia, complete with the cinnamon buns hair. I am just about finshed with the dress. It needs a few snaps, and hook eyes, and it needs hemmed. It turned out awesome, and I will post pictures of it and the other kids costumes on or just after Halloween. I wanted to make the other kids' costumes, but they wouldn't decide on something, so time became and issue. Gwen finally decided on a female Vampire. I know I could have made the costume better, but oh well. Cornell will be a ganster with the pin stripe suit. I will need to replace the dickie and tie with a real shirt however. Clarece is a devil. I could never find a pattern, or any component of a pattern that I liked. I picked hers up for 10 bucks, so it wasn't a bad price. We will add some little touches to make it grand. So that leaves the dog. While looking for patterns for us. The girls' found one that they loved for Duke. After making it, I agree it suits him. Now we just need to get him used to wearing it. The picture I am posting is of him and Jacquelyn. Enjoy! TTFN, Miki

Latest Knitting Projects

So, even though I have been busy, I have still been knitting a little. I always like to have small projects with me to work on. Scarves, socks and the like work best. I found a pattern in Creative Knitting magazine, July 2006 that I liked. It was for a glass cozy. I made two of them in different shades of denim in DMC Senseo yarn. I really liked how they turned out. They are stretchy and fit nicely on both glasses and bottles. They also keep your hand from getting cold or wet. I am working on one now in red, that is a different kind of yarn. Red matches my kitchen so that makes the most sense. Unfortunately I couldn't find the Senseo in red, so made due with what they had. My only complaint with the Senseo is that it split really easy. This is my first time doing cables by hand, and I think they went really well. I think once I finish the red one, I will go back to socks for awhile. I still haven't made a pair to fit me, and my husband wants some too.


I finally finished the blanket for my cousins new baby Landon. I did a round, amish star again. This time it was in greens with grey. I used Caron Simply Soft in Sage, Dark Sage and Grey. For some reason this pattern was a pain this time around. It fell off the machine at least twice, and I can't tell you how many times I dropped stitches and had to pull out rows. I am glad it is done, and off to its new owner sometime today. My mom showed me the nursery set they decided on. It is a kid friendly jungle scene, so the greens will work nicely with what they chose. Who knew, I just wanted to try something different than the blues. I also think my theory about using a light and dark shade of the same color for the star was proven. I like this blanket as much as the one I did in blues, and much more than the purple and green one I did for my niece. My sister likes the purple and green one, but I think the star works better in a high and low shade.


Also Gwen knit another bag. This one is for her best friend Mackenzie back in Oregon. She used Cascade 220 again. Unfortunately her dad threw away the wrappers before I could write down the color number. They are pink...almost fuchia, and a light blend with the darker color in it. She is getting pretty good with the machine and she enjoys it. The girls at school who have seen the other bag she made all want one now, and she wants to know if she can sell them. I told her she could, but that it takes 3 skeins of yarn at about $8 each, so she would have to have a pretty high price tag to make any money. She said she didn't care, but I bet the girls at school would.


Well that is all I have for now. TTFN, Miki

Monday night lights update

Okay so I am new at this video thing. For some reason, it isn't working like I would like. If you click on the box where my video should be, it should take you to the photobucket website where I stored it and you can view it. Again it is hard to see, and there is glare from the light, but Cornell is the QB, he drops back and throws a pass. Of course the receiver doesn't get far, but so, it was still a nice pass. -M

Monday Night Lights

So, my sister has told me that I am not blogging enough. So much for my resolution to blog at least once a week. Well, ...sorry but I have been REALLY busy. My son is playing football and the nights we aren't practicing, we have a game, and my oldest daughter is cheering. Fortunately she is cheering for her brothers team. But soon her competions will start and that only adds more for me to do. My youngest has started Karate again, and that ties up Wed. Fortunately, my middle daughter is not doing anything right now, except Girl Scouts, which I am a leader for. I am also the co-leader in my youngests troop. But, at least I know where they are and who they are with, and what they are doing. I am also glad they are staying active.

My sister also asked that I include video of Cornell's game. Sorry for the quality, and the distance. Cornell is the quaterback and he threw a nice pass in this clip. I hope you enjoy it. I will try to get video of Gwen cheering on Sat., and post it too.
I also wanted to add that growing up in Eugene, Oregon, where I think only college football is important...GO DUCKS! It has been an experience here in Virginia, where Saturday game days are an experience unto themselves. All the teams in your league playing back to back. Music, play by play, and color over the sound system. Concessions, with a grill that includes a breakfast menu if you are there for the flag game. This is a serious business, and one that I am not accustom to, but am enjoying.
TTFN, Miki

The tie belt idea

In response to those who have commented on the tie belt idea, I just wanted to say that I wish it was ours. However, we found it in the latest issue of Family Fun magazine. She thought the idea looked like some of the belts that she had seen at the store, and that they would be easy to make. They are very easy to make, and so far very popular with the 10-12 year old crowd, oh and the mother of one of the girls she gave it to. Unfortunatley unless you are a very thing adult, or you can find ties for big and tall men(these would have extra length)it is not easy to make these for adults. You end up cutting the tie right about where it starts to get wider. This is usually 37 inches or so, and while that may fit around some people, you still need belt to cinch and an end to tuck into belt loops to look right. If you are unfamiliar with Family Fun magazine, I would encourage you to check it, or their website out, as there are lots of great and easy ideas there.

It Really Sucks To Lose A Bet...

Or so my son recently found out. Two months ago he signed up for football. This was his first year in full pads. I think in Oregon 5th graders are still playing touch. Anyhow, after an hour or so of struggling to get his pads in the pockets the right direction, he gave up proclaiming it to be "IMPOSSIBLE". Well, his twin sister loves a challenge, especially when it means bettering her brother. She quickly ask if she could try. He told her sure but she wouldn't be able to do it either because the pockets where too small and the pads too big. She said, "I bet I can." He said she couldn't. Too which she answered, "if I do, you have to put on my cheerleader uniform, lollies(the briefs for under the skirt) and all." He quickly agreed believing that she would never get them in, because it was "impossible" In a matter of seconds she was done. The pads in the right spots, and bending the right direction. Cory, my son, thought it was funny, and agreed to wear the uniform, when she gets it. Well....this last week the uniform arrived. I guess he thought she would forget, or we wouldn't make him do it...boy was he wrong. After telling him he was grounded(maybe a little extreme, but he needs to learn to stand by his word) until he paid up, he finally put the uniform on. He made me promise not to take pictures, and was dismayed when he realized I was only going to take one picture, not multiple pictures. Then the begging began...Mom please don't put this on your blog...yeah right, like I would pass this one up. Okay so maybe I am a little cruel...but he does look kinda cute. His younger sister even whistled at him. Maybe now he will know not to make a bet he wouldn't be willing to pay up on. TTFN, miki

Belts out of ties

My oldest daughter has been so creative lately. She has started to make the cutest cinch belts out of old ties. She made two last weekend aa a gift for her friend to go with the bag she knit and felted. The turned out so well that she just "had" to make more. Of course she wanted to raid her dads ties to get some really good ones. Plus, as she put it, he never wears ties anyway. Well he didnt let her go through the ties, but did give up a few. She then went to goodwill yesterday and found 20 more that she thought would be good belt choices. Of course when she got home, her dad then chose two that he wanted to keep. One was a nice belt choice, but also a very classic style tie. The other was only ok, and I secretly hope he never wears it. Oh wait I guess it isnt a secret because I told him, and now I am blogging about it. I took pictures of the ones she made last night for gifts. They are very cute. She is even talking about maybe making some and selling them. I like that idea. We will she what comes of it. TTFN, Miki

Gwens first machine knit project

I set my oldest daughter up on the knitting machine yesterday to make a gift for a friends birthday. She knit a simple little tote bag/purse. It turned out so cute. I made one a few years ago for a friend and loved it so much I didnt want to give it away. I feel the same about this one. Of course...I didnt make it. I showed her what she needed to do, and stayed close by to solve any problems. All in all she did a good job. She "unzipped" it once from the machine, but stopped after about 15 stitches so it was easy to rehang. And one time the whole machine nearly fell to the floor but she caught it and we only had to frog a few rows. I seamed it up for her and it felted so nicely. We used the kangamooknits pattern, that can be found on their website, or for free on the bond website. We just didnt but the pocket on the front. She used Cascade Quatro in color #5018 for the main body, and Cascade 220 in color # 9421 for the top, bottom and handles. She only needed two skeins for the main color, and one for the secondary. On a side note...I wish manufacturers would name their colorways, instead of numbering them. The colors are just too beautiful for a number in my oppinion. TTFN, Miki

Painting the girls room

I just finished painting my girls' bedroom. I wanted to share the focal point wall with you all because I love how it turned out. It was a bit of a pain to do, and there are still a few spots that will need some touch up. But, all in all I love how it turned out. The girls chose the colors to match their bedding. Each of the other three walls are one of the colors on the focal wall. The result is very bright and hip, IMHO. Hope you like it too.

puppy picture

here he is...

Brielle's blanket, my quickly growing puppy and a finger update

Well, I know it has been awhile since I've written. It is just that I have been furiously working on Jacquelyn's stocking. I really should take a picture so you can see the progress. Oh well. I did finally finish Brielle's blanket. I like the knitting, but to do the worm trim on the edge, and to work in all the loose ends is NO FUN! I know it is a necessary part of knitting, but I really dislike the finish work. I do have to say that I put it off a little as when Brielle was only a few weeks old she was hospitalized when she began vomiting blood. I did not want to finish the blanket and send it until we knew all was well. As far as I have been told she is fine. They have diagnosed her with an anal sphincter problem, and also with acid reflux. Apparently with "training" for the sphincter and medicine for the reflux, she should be fine. Why is it that I am hearing of lots of babies with acid reflux lately? My son as a baby spit up tons after every feeding. In fact it was pretty much non stop from feeding to feeding. All of his clothes were stained, and we had to warn everyone who held him to beware of spit. The doctor told me that as long as he was gaining weight it wasn't a problem. It makes me wonder if his diagnosis would be different now.

So anyhow, I have uploaded a picture of the blanket. It is pretty basically the pattern I do for most baby blankets. It is knit with Caron Simply Soft, in Iris, Orchid, and Grey Heather. The lavender color of the Orchid only shows up well on one of the squares in the picture.

I have also added a picture of the puppy. Duke is growing lots. We knew he was getting bigger, but when we took another picture by the basketball we were surprised at how much bigger he has gotten.

Lastly I have added a picture of my now mostly healed finger. Many people have sent me good wishes regarding it and I greatly appreciate it. I wanted to post a picture soon after the injury, but thought it might gross out to many people. Instead I waited and have drawn around where it was cut with a pen. There is still a nice dent in the finger that I imagine we be there for awhile if not forever. Also, there is a small knot of scar tissue right at the knuckle that seems to be attached to the nerve. I only know this because I have accidentally hit it a few times and thought I might die. I have also scraped it on the fly nut on the bottom of the cross stitch frame and thought I had cut it open again. Oww!

On a fun note. We took our kids for another concert at Innsbrook Pavilion. This last week we saw Train. This is a band we like and the kids are familiar with them. What a great concert!! They were terrific and we all had a great time. If you live in the Richmond area and have not been to a concert there I highly recommend it. They have a variety of different bands, and the prices are reasonable. Plus kids 12 and under are free. That in and of itself makes it worth it to us. We have seen Hootie and the Blowfish, and Blues Traveler there this year. Lots of fun in the outdoors in Virginia! TTFN, Miki

Oops! It won't let me add the dogs picture. I will try again later.

Where to start

So I saw the Doctor about my finger on Thursday. He said I couldnt have done much more damage without cutting the finger off. Well isnt that great to know. Anyhow, I hit/cut the finger in 3 spots. In the first spot I only nicked and bruised the finger, the second, and worst spot, I cut and hit/bruised the artery and nerve. Which I also did to a lesser degree to the third spot, in between the 2 fingers. He said that it would hurt a lot for a few weeks. Great! He also said that he was worried about a staph infection so he was putting me on antibiotics. One of the two reasons I went to him, infection. The other was of course pain. On the pain front, I didn't get any good pain killers, but 800mg. of good old Ibuprofen. That seems to be doing the trick, so I guess Dr. knows best. So aside from pointing out the obvious(it was a bad cut)and applying neosporin and a badage, all I got out of the visit was a prescription. Oh well. In a similar vein, the antibiotic he put me on is the worst. It gives the worst stomache aches, even when taken with food and with a prilosec in me. YUCK!

So....the big news....we got a new puppy!!!Yeah! Except for the waking up a few times a night, and the constantly needing to know where he is and what he is into, it isnt too bad. Oh and the keeping the kids from smothering him to death. I have become so accustom to sleeping all night, that now I remember what it was like to be a nursing mom. The good news is that I will get him sleeping through the night faster than a human baby

We purchased an 8 week old male pug puppy. He is so tiny and adorable. This is the second pug we have owned. We have found them to be very good dogs for our family. TTFN, Miki