Beaded Scarf - Day 3

Beaded Scarf 3 days
Originally uploaded by mlj1954ohio

This is a great pattern, easy and it looks great. It came from Jane from whoduknit. Lots of beads, so they need to be pre-strung, which is tedious but much faster than trying to using the crochet hook method.

The yarn came from Vigdis by way of the WhoduKnit prize locker.

Jane said that she would have done more than 9 rows of beads, so following her suggestion, I split all the beads I had into two piles and figured out how many rows (12) of beads I would end up with . . . this is what I had accomplished through last evening (Sunday, August 23). Not too shabby, especially considering that we were gone for most of the weekend and I was doing the driving so I didn't get any knitting done.

So, I have all these little projects that I am working on . . . . Cloth of the Week . . . . squares for the afghan . . . . and whatever else I have in bags, tucked away, etc.

Someone on, I believe, Whoduknit, or MyKnittingCircle who recommended working on something for 12 days. I don't recall why 12 days. Anyway, I have decided to work on something for seven days (unless I am seriously under a time crunch or so totally infatuated with the thing . . . do you like how I have given myself an "out" to my own rules . . .). I started stringing the beads for this last Wednesday, August 19. I am going to count start working on it though as of Thursday August 20 (another "out"). (So, since I didn't get to work on this most of the weekend, do I add onto the number of days per project based on actual knitting days?)

It is for a friend as a gift. She does appreciate what I do and I know she will just love this scarf.

The only thing is that the edges are kind of raggidy, so I think I will have to crochet a simple edge along the whole thing. It will finish it nicely.

30 day challenge

A generation ago, three-quarters of the money

used to buy food in the US was spent to prepare meals at home. Today, about half of that same money is spent in restaurants -

mainly fast food restaurants.

~ Eric Schlosser

Check this out . . . Robynn's is challenging us . . . we the fast food nation . . .

Go to her blog and read all about her 30 day challenge.

The upside for us is that we will be healthier (and maybe a little leaner) and, you have a chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card. How cool is that!!!

So, are you up for a 30 day challenge. Go check out Robynn's blog and learn about it.

First Day of School 2009 - 2010 school year

Yes, today is the first day of school . . . specifically, it is Zachariah's first day in 4th grade. He announced last evening that he did not want to go to 4th grade. He doesn't like writing in cursive or using pens. His solution is that he just won't go.


The students are allowed to wear their gym clothes to school until Labor Day. At that time, they have to switch to their uniforms (yellow or light grey polo shirts (ughhhhh . . . the principal obviously doesn't have a young son), navy blue or black dress pants, black/brown dress shoes).

Zachariah doesn't know it yet, but they might be splitting his class into two classes. Currently, there are 33 students enrolled in 4th grade. If they split his class, he will have Sister Marietta. Woo hoo. Here's hoping. They are going to wait to decide to split until all the students show up. Lame. If anything, they will end up with MORE than 33 students not less than 33 students.

Simple Woman - August 17, 2009

“I long, as does every human being,

to be at home wherever I find myself.”
―Maya Angelou

FOR TODAY . . . August 17, 2009

Outside my Window... it is hot . . . it has been the hottest days of the summer this past week and through most of this week.
I am thinking... that I need to focus on getting some things completed instead of starting something new
I am thankful for... our garden and sharing the wealth of our abundance
From the kitchen... baked tomatoes, corn on the cob, fresh steamed green beans marinated and grilled chicken . . . all but the chicken came from the garden
I am creating... squares . . . lots of squares
I am going... to enjoy my two days off this week
I am wearing... black slacks and a black shell with green and black blouse
I am reading... a couple of books, none of which I can remember the title of . . . how sad
I am hoping... to get boat loads of stuff done today
I am hearing... the radio
Around the house... the garden is in full swing (lots of veggies), everything is vacuumed and dusted and the dishwasher is empty
One of my favorite things... starting the day with an empty dishwasher . . . how weird is THAT!
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week... busy today and tomorrow at work . . . Wednesday and Thursday am off from work . . . haircuts for Lindsey, Sarah and I on Wednesday followed by lunch, Thursday is Lindsey's first day of school 8 to 11 . . . no busses so I will drive her, hang out at Panera's and then pick her up a little after 11:00. We will then pick up Peg (my sister) and Andrew (Lindsey' boyfriend . . . he has a half day also) and all of us will go to lunch. We are having fish for dinner one of those nights. Either Salmon or Flounder.

A contest . . . you should check it out

Here is a contest being hosted by Nikola's Book Blog. Check it out here. You can also click on the picture to the side.

You have to hurry because the contest ends August 28th. Or not bother and increase my chances of winning!

Friday Fill In - August 14, 2009

1. When will we have consistently good weather?

2. Persuader by Lee Child was the last good book I read.

3. Everything has its beauty but sometimes you have to dig really, really deep to find it!

4. Good veggies from the garden is what I had for dinner.

5. I'd like your ideas about how I can get my daughter to keep an her options open with respect to college . . . she is starting her Junior year in high school and keeps narrowing her scope based solely on what her friends are doing.

6. Home in bed is where I want to be right now.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to doing nothing, tomorrow my plans include dentist appointment, laundry and church and Sunday, I want to hem my new slacks, replace a zipper, clean the closets!

you don't gotta like me . . .

“Mom, you don't got like us,

but you gotta love us. It says so in the Mommy Bible!”
―According to Sarah, my eldest darling daughter

she said that it is a quote from the Mommy Bible.

Years ago when my oldest daughter was a teenager and she knew that she had not been very nice, she crawled into bed with me one Sunday morning and laid the above quote on me. It is very true.

~

I understand the logic of the kids going nuts the week or so before summer break ends, but geez they are just about ready to drive me over the edge. I took off two days last week to spend time with the kids, running them to several appointments and lessons (dentist, orthodontist, swimming, violin, ENT, end-of-summer concert). We also did some shopping . . . socks, tights, shoes. We had the meeting with the college counselor on Thursday.

~

They got upset because I made them put on their swim suits, turn off the electronics and get their butts outside. We also had a required reading time (both days). The crazy thing is that they love swimming and reading. So basically, I was making them do things that they love doing. Arghhh.

~

So, I am taking off tomorrow. It is Dave's (he is returning to first grade again . . . teaching that is) and Zachariah's (he is going into 4th grade, with a teacher I do not like . . . the only upside being that Sister Marietta will be teaching math and religion with his regular teacher doing the balance) first day of school. It is a problem with the teacher. She was hired because she is a friend of the principal. As a parent, I would not know some of the things I know. As the wife of a teacher at the same school and as an invitee to the principal's home, I do know things I wouldn't otherwise know. Simple things like the fact that last year, the teacher never taught science and did such a poor job at math that the principal (her friend) was going to teach math this year. The kindergarten teacher, who is a good friend of ours, told me that one of the other Moms at the school last year, got so frustrated with the 4th grade teacher, that she had developed a series of "form letters" and sent one almost every week to the teacher and the principal. The problem I have is that my husband also teaches at the school. Which, in a nut shell, is the only reason I can think of why parents shouldn't be at the same school as their children.

~

I don't know about your part of the world, but most of the schools will be starting school this week. Lindsey starts on Thursday. She only has a half day (8:00 to 11:00 with no bus service). So, I am taking off to get her to school and to pick her up.

~

Lindsey was very upset with the college counselor. If she wants to get an Honors Diploma, she has to take Spanish IV in her senior year. She also never planned gym into her schedule. And, frankly, there isn't any room in her schedule without going to summer school. She could give up on music. I find it very annoying that she would have to sacrifice orchestra for gym when she is on the swim team and will be swimming five days a week, usually twice a day, from November to February. The stupid, stupid, stupid thing is that the school makes the students take gym five days a week for an entire semester. And, since they are on block schedules (4 classes per semester at 80 minutes per class per day), she would have gym for 80 minutes a day for five days a week for an entire semester. It is basically classified at the same level as Calculus but is only worth 1/2 credit.

~

And, so whose fault is this . . . you guessed it . . . mine. She is angry with me. She is angry about the Spanish IV (which she doesn't want to take) and that if she had known that she would not have tested out of Spanish I. She is angry that she will be "wasting" her summer next year taking gym. You should have seen the look I got when I suggested that she take Spanish IV during the summer . . . of course, there isn't anyplace that she could take Spanish IV. Arghhhh.

~

So, last evening I kept thinking about what Sarah had said to me sooooo many years ago . . . "Mom, you don't have to like us, but you gotta love us . . . it says so in the Mommy Bible."

relaxing

“The time to relax is
when you don’t have time for it.”
―Sydney J. Harris

~

Now that is definitely easier said than done.

~

This week, for example, is turning into a nightmare of rushing and dashing and waiting.

Yesterday, I had a doctor's appointment. 8:00 a.m. so that I would get to work at a reasonable time. Please keep in mind that I am usually in my office by 6:45. I got in by 9:30. The reason it was so late was because my doctor didn't show up until 8:25 . . . I actually spent more time with her nurse than with her. On the other hand, she did do a happy dance with me, celebrating my 48 pound loss.

~

Today, we have Weight Watchers (we do an @ Work program and I am the coordinator of it). Generally, I don't mind, except that it takes a 90 minute block of time out of my day. Since I am taking off on Wednesday (yes, that would be tomorrow) and Thursday, I don't have the time to give up. My back-up person is, unfortunately (or fortunately for her), getting her only child and daughter ready to go to college and cannot help me.

~

I was originally scheduled to have off on Thursday and Friday (thereby giving me a long weekend). However, Dave's classes begin next Wednesday (8/19 -- I am also taking off next Wednesday and Thursday). The principal had initially scheduled meetings for this Thursday and Friday, which is why I had taken the day off. Dave had made a couple of doctors' appts for the kids on Wednesday. His principal has now added tomorrow as a mandatory teacher-inservice day. On the upside, his classroom is getting a smartboard . . . cool beans! In any event, I am taking off tomorrow so that I get to do the running around (one dentist, one orthodontist, one ENT, one hour of violin lessons). Oh, and, of course, they both need new shoes.

~

On Thursday, we will not be doing anything. I'm thinking maybe even taking the kids to a movie . . . a special treat . . . or maybe we can do a movie marathon at home . . . in that way, I can avoid the popcorn.

~

Next Wednesday, Lindsey and I are getting our hair cut and Sarah is getting a pedicure and manicure. We will then "do lunch" with Lindsey having to be back by 2:30 to babysit. On Thursday, Lindsey starts back to school. Of course, her school is inane and stupid and has the students coming in for three hours. She has to be there by 8:00 and is done at 11:00. I may let her take the bus to school but will have to go pick her up (she is babysitting again that afternoon). I do think I will ask a friend if she wants to "do lunch."

Mopping

“My idea of superwoman is

someone who scrubs her own floors.”
―Bette Midler

So last night, we were watching the news and a commercial came on about Swiffer's new and improved floor mopping system . . . I am sure you have seen them . . . and I thought

"I really should check that out. Doesn't it look like it would really work . . ."

then I started chuckling. When swiffer first came out, I lusted after it. I really, really wanted it. I bought it and it was just such a disappointment.

When the kids were little (and trust me, since the age spread of my kids is almost 16 years, I had little kids FOREVER), I would damp mop on a regular basis.

I remember that my Mom used to wash our kitchen and dining room floors on a regular basis (at least once a week . . . and often more often than that). My kitchen and dining room floors (ceramic tile) are lucky if they get fully washed three or four times a year. We do spot cleaning and sweeping and vacuuming, but never enough that my kids are going to remember that I washed the floors every week or even every month. Generally, it has gotten to the point where the floors get washed AFTER we have a picnic or party.

I am such a slob.

The 3/50 Project

The 3/50 Project

Saving the Bricks and Mortar our Nation is Built on

3

Think about which three independently owned businesses you’d miss most if they were gone.

Stop in and say hello.

Pick up a little something that will make someone smile.

Your contribution is what keeps those businesses around.

50

If just half the employed U.S. population spent $50 each month in independently owned businesses,

their purchaseswould generate more than $42.6 billion in revenue.*

Imagine the positive impact

if 3/4 of the employedpopulation did that.

68

For every $100 spent in independently owned stores,

$68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll,

and other expenditures.

If you spend that in a national chain,

only $43 stays here.

Spend it online and nothing comes home.

1

The number of people it takes to start the trend...you.

_______________

* Employment statistics courtesy U.S. Department of Labor 2/6/09

Sing out loud!

“Sing out loud in the car even,

or especially, if it embarrasses your children.”
―Marilyn Penland

Okay, I am the evil Mom.

The further my 15 year old slides down in the seat, the louder I get and then, I add hand motions and, if it is dark out, I'll turn the dome light on.

On the other hand, she is the one who announced to the entire mall, that I could just wait by the door while she shopped . . . it only seems fair. by the way, I didn't wait by the door, I followed her around pointing out really hideous outfits and when she wanted me to buy her something, I ignored her ("who me, are YOU talking to ME . . . sorry, I've got to get back to my assigned location by the door." LOL. Kids are so much fun.

Great quote and other miscellaneous stuff

“For every minute spent in organizing,

an hour is earned.”
―Benjamin Franklin

Isn't this a great quote. I really like it. So today, I am going to clean my office. It is getting cluttered (again). It is a good day to do so since my boss and our secretary are both out. Good idea!

In the knitting department, I have a couple of project in the works. One is a market bag that I am making out of cotton (Peaches & Creme). I used a partial varigated skein for the base and am using a solid for the body. The biggest problem is that the body is a series of k2tog and yo . . . not bad with something a tad stretchy but with cotton there isn't a whole heck of a lot of "give." It is the Grrlfriend Market Bag from Ravelry.

Simple Woman - August 3, 2009

I base most of my fashion sense on what doesn’t itch.
―Gilda Radner

FOR TODAY
Outside my Window... it is a crisp beautiful morning . . . the first Monday of August 2009
I am thinking... the summer is flying by
I am thankful for... the warm weather and cool nights
From the kitchen... the first vegetables from the garden, baked in a wonderful casserole, tossed with a pesto. Yummy
I am creating... squares and cloths and a scarf and hat for Zachariah
I am going... to leave work earlier today . . . Dave's first day allowed to begin preparing his classroom and he will be picking me up when he is done.
I am wearing... beige skirt, stripped summer sweater and beige skimmer shoes
I am reading... Interweave Knits and Vogue Knitting . . . both of which arrived in Saturday's mail
I am hoping... to get to bed early tonight
I am hearing... the radio and the birds
Around the house... the bedrooms have all been cleaned, dusted and look rather nice
One of my favorite things... clean windows
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week... work, knitting, WW (on Tuesday), knitting (on Wednesday), EGD (on Friday), dinner with friends (on Saturday).
Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you... another Cloth of the Week, this one from November 11, 2008. It was an interesting pattern and one of the few done so far which required my total attention. I am really enjoying doing these cloths. The cloths are broadening my knitting skills but also keep me interested.