Ten on Tuesday

Today's topic is 10 Things to Bring on a Camping Trip which would be a lot easier to do if we actually went camping very often. The last time ES and I were camping in a tent was five years ago. Our camping involves going to the vacation spot and renting a hotel room. Given that fact here is what I brought on the last camping trip:

1. A book to read.
2. Good hiking/walking shoes.
3. A swimsuit for floating and wading in the river.
4. A good flashlight for those evening walks when there aren't any streetlights around.
5. My knitting!
6. Favorite drinks. It's too far to the local store, you know.
7. Dinner ingredients for our night to prepare dinner. We take turns preparing dinners.
8. Spinning wheel. There is nothing better than sitting by the river and watching people wade, float, and fish while I get to spin.
9. A comfy camp chair. I don't like sitting on the ground.
10. My willingness to go with the flow. Just relax and enjoy the family time.

What do you bring on a camping trip?

I am visiting the kids and grandkids this week and enjoying the chance to spend time with my family. I have completed a shawl project. It helped, in completing the shawl, that I had a flight delay on the way West. I will have pictures of the shawl when I get home and can use my own computer to download the pictures.

This week is my birthday and I'd like to do a contest for some hand spun yarn. Leave me a comment telling me what your favorite birthday memory is and I'll have a drawing for the yarn when I get home next Tuesday. I want to know what you remember about your birthdays. My favorite memory is having angel food cake, homemade by my Grandma Wheeler at her house, when I was about 10 years old. It was the best cake that I remember ever having.

Happy knitting and spinning.

My Baby is Not a Baby Anymore

My baby is 18 today!!

Not the best picture, but he took it (or a friend took it) and it is recent.

It's hard to believe that all my boys are now old enough to vote, old enough to be responsible legally for their own actions, and to be on their own. C will be with us for this his final year in high school, then who knows what will happen.

The past 18 years have just flown by, C isn't really that old, but the calendar doesn't lie.

Happy Birthday C!!

Buzzards in Virginia?

This was the weirdest sight today. I was taking "C" to young mens, a church organization, and saw this bird. It looked like a buzzard of some kind and it was eating road kill! After dropping "C" and a friend off, I drove back the same way to see if it was still there and it was. I got this picture with my cellphone then, I didn't think I had my digital camera with me, so the picture isn't too good. "C" wouldn't take the picture when we were heading down the road together, so I HAD to go back. When I first saw the bird it was in the middle of the road stopping traffic. When I went back, it had moved the road kill to where you see the bird now. I sat a watched for about five minutes and then had to head home.

I have to wish ES a Happy Birthday. He turns 50 years old today! I asked if he felt old and he said he didn't yet, but he's sure that will come in about 20 years or so.

Happy Birthday J-b

The internet wasn't working last night, because of the snow, so I missed my regular post. It snowed just enough to make everything covered and slick. Really its about one and a half inches. Everyone in this house hold is getting a little tired of snow, except for M, and that okay because she missed one winter when she went to Bolivia and she can make that up now. But even she says its too cold.

I have "startitis" and I'm really, really trying not to start anything until I get a few things finished up. Although last night I measured how much yardage I have for the silk challenge fiber and then wound it up into a ball. This is my next project! I have another hat for Michelle to finish up and a baby sweater for my boss's new grandson to sew up and then the silk challenge can be on it's way. I only have six weeks to complete the silk project.

Today is J-b's birthday! The second of my sons is now into his 20's. It's hard to believe that my children are growing up so fast. This is J-b with his Aunt Beth taken in 2007, sorry I don't remember which month. He has grown into a handsome young man, in my opinion. He will be home in just about five weeks and I am excited to have him here, if even for a little while.

Happy knitting & spinning.

One Fiber Batt Almost Done.

I have been spending some time spinning. I have spun five and a half bobbins of this fiber from the Sheep Shed Studio. I have plied two bobbins and I like how it is turning out. I only have about half a bobbin left to spin and then I will show pictures of the plied skein.

Tomorrow is Au's birthday. I have to work late, so I did the birthday shopping today and will take the card and present over to their house on my lunch hour tomorrow. It is really different to buy a birthday gift for a daughter-in-law. I don't know her tastes too well and I think I remember what it was like at her age, but then again I'm not sure. I hope she will like what we got her. It has been quite fun to add her to our family and I have enjoyed getting to know her, even if I may get her tastes wrong. E and Au invited me to dinner on Sunday night. That was fun. Au made a really good chicken dish with rice and peas. It was really nice to not have to go home and cook. And the boys didn't want to go over, so it was just three of us.

I have a couple of quick knitting projects. ES's niece, Michelle, asked if I would make her a hat. I told her that if she would get me the yarn I would make one for her. She went right down and bought yarn before I could leave ES's dad and step-mom's place. She bought two skeins of Lion Brand Chenille which is working up very quickly and has pretty good yardage. She will be here on Sunday, and I think I will actually have three hats for her. Because of other commitments, we'll see how fast I knit in the next day and a half.

Happy knitting & spinning.

Birthday Wishes

Happy Birthday, Mom! Sorry, no pictures. Couldn't find one of just her on my computer.

I started a new project last night and it is about half-way done. I should have pictures for you on Saturday. The Greenjeans sweater is still waiting for the button bands and I haven't even picked up the sock from last Saturday's class. I also started spinning the silk for the silk challenge. I'm not sure I like it all that well, but I am making sure that I have plenty of twist in the singles.

The days, weeks and months are just flying by and I'm not getting anything done that I should be getting done. The packing is going very s-l-o-w-l-y. I need to get my butt in gear and get stuff packed up and cleaned up! Life is going by too fast!

Happy knitting & spinning.

Super Bowl Knitting & R's Birthday

Okay, so the sock class went really well. This pattern will be a challenge for me though. The pattern is: Button-up Socks Just for the fun of it! by Joan Goldstein. You knit the top ridges and then pick up stitches along the flat edge for the cuff of the sock. The sock is then knit flat until after the length you want the cuff to be. I have the right cuff knit to about two inches and have the ridges started for the left sock. I think I may enjoy knitting these, but we will see. I hope to have them done this month. I need the needles for the class in March.

On the baby sweater front, this is the picture from before the Super Bowl. The hood, yoke, one complete sleeve and the second sleeve about two inches done is how far I was. By the time the Super Bowl was over I have much more completed.

Here's the sweater now. The hood is at the top. See, both sleeves complete and about four and a half inches of the body are done. Only two more inches here and then I can do the pattern at the bottom and the picot edging. It could be done before the end of the week.

On the "kid" front, today was R's 18th birthday. It is hard to believe that child is that old now. It seems like just yesterday he was a snotty-nosed kid. Now he is a young adult with some of the teenage attitudes disappearing. I really like that fact! Sometimes I get really tired of the attitudes. Thank goodness there is only one more living at home right now. R has turned out ok so far, although I will probably always worry about him. That's my "mother's" right. Do I ever grow out of it? I know I may want to, but do I get to?

Happy knitting & spinning.

Happy Birthday E

Not a lot of knitting was completed yesterday evening as there were many things going on. After work C had a Christmas choir concert to start the night off. That went for about an hour. This is only about half the choir as the other half was behind the audience for the first song. I was able to knit the cuff and up to the thumb of the second pink fingerless mitt. I couldn't go further on the mitt at the concert, because there was not enough light.

After the concert, ES and I took E and his girlfriend to dinner at Chuck-a-Rama. Then back home for birthday cake. It was 22 years ago yesterday that he entered this world. It's hard to believe that that much time has passed. It seems like just a couple of years ago that I was chasing after a toddler, attending grade school plays and field trips, breaking up fights between the brothers, and generally feeling exhausted trying to keep up with him. I am proud of the young man he has become and is striving to still become. (He still makes me tired!)

This morning I was able to attend the knitting group at the LYS. While there I finished the pink mitts. I was only there for about half an hour, but it was fun to catch up with all the ladies there. I don't get to attend as frequently as I would like to. Something with having to make a living gets in the way. I like my job, don't get me wrong. But I like knitting more.

Tomorrow R gets his wisdom teeth out. I don't know how good of a patient he will be for the next couple of days. Usually, he just wants to sleep when he's not feeling well. It will be interesting to see how he reacts to this his first surgery. While he is in getting his teeth pulled, I will have some time to work on the ninth pair of fingerless mitts. Only two more pair to go, for sure. But who knows if another pair doesn't get added before it's all said and done.

Happy knitting & spinning!

My baby's 16!!

"C" turned 16 today. It's hard to believe that that much time has gone by since we carried him home! What a character he is! He has been the source of laughter, anxiety and love. He bonds his brothers together and enjoys spending time with each one of them. Happy Birthday!

On the knitting front, I have this quick little shawl. It's almost to the cast off point. It was started a week ago today and has been my carry everywhere project since then. It even went to the Chukar's baseball game on Saturday night. My inside, night picture isn't the best and doesn't show the color well. When I have the shawl completed I will take an outside daytime picture and you can compare the two.

Happy knitting & spinning!