BYOB!

This bag seemed to take FOREVER to make. All those rounds of seed stitch. I LOVE the FO though. It was totally worth it. I didn't take time to check gauge, and probably should have used smaller needles. So instead of a bag that I could take to the market, this should be more of a beach bag. It fits 4 towels easily.

I know this isn't the most flattering shot of the back of me and all the TV wires, but you should see how long this bag is.

And here it is stuffed with groceries. TJ's shoppers will know the sizes of these items. The bag holds a tub of alphabet cookies, a tub of mini meringues, a box of Kashi Mighty Bites, a bag of White Cheddar Puffs, a loaf of Cinnamon bread, and a bag of Honey-Wheat pretzel sticks.

I've finished a few market bags. Each from a different pattern. I was going to try to post them all together...sort of a comparison review. Now, I'm just hoping to get them all up on the blog. Do you have a favorite market bag pattern? What makes that one your favorite?

Christmas Traditions

I've seen this around a few places...

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Anything I can recycle. I'm trying to knit or sew a few drawstring bags for little gifts.
   
2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial. The real kind seems to bother our allergies.
   
3. When do you put up the tree? Right after Thanksgiving, although this year we were a bit late.
   
4. When do you take the tree down? New Year's Day or the next day.
5. Do you like eggnog? NO! And though it's not my favorite drink, we make Boiled Custard. It was Dede's recipe (my father's mother) and we made it every year. My brother loved it, but me...ehh. It's not the Custard's fault. I don't even like to drink milk.
   
6. Favorite gift received as a child? My sewing machine (I was 12).
7. Hardest person to buy for? My BIL. He buys himself everything he wants as soon as it's out. The iPhone, DVD's, a new Cannon.
8. Easiest person to buy for? My kids.
9. Do you have a nativity scene? One for each year we've been married...plus a few extra. I thought it would be fun to collect these like I'd heard on a Focus on the Family radio broadcast. We have a nativity pocket advent calendar, a large white ceramic set that was a gift when we got married, a veggie tales set, the playmobil set (7&5's room), the little people set, a wooden set (that's in 3's room), a carved wood set that was a paint your own kit, but I like it unpainted, a crafted nativity that I made before we were married, a set made from clothespins that my dad made before I was born, a super cute mini nativity from my neighbor last year, and a precious moments set (not the fancy kind...this one is plastic figures for the kids to play with), and this year I printed off a set free from the internet somewhere (wish I remembered where). It's "The Nativity Story" a shadow puppet play set. I'll cut out the pieces and then we'lll back light it. The kids are really into shadow puppets this year. This will be a fun one. I love that they play with most of these sets.
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? E-Mailed last year. Not sure about this year yet.
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? That's a hard one...
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Probably a Charlie Brown movie.
    
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? August
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Probably not.
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Christmas Cookies! My Gram used to start making cookies right after Thanksgiving. And my mom's cousin G always sends a box from OR and I LOVE his lemon cookies.
16. Lights on the tree? Colored lights.
    
17. Favorite Christmas song? Right now...Away In The Manger...because how cute is that when a 3yo. sings it.
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? My whole growing up years, we traveled to Napa for Christmas. The last few Christmas' we've spent at my SIL's...that's just an hour from here...I don't really call that travel...but we're not really home either.
    
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Yes, I can.
20. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Immediate family gifts on Christmas Eve...gifts with the In-Laws Christmas Day...gifts with my family...different every year.
    
21. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? This year *glitter*. I sweep the floor at my Craft Store job. I come home covered in glitter.
22. Favorite ornament theme or color? Blown glass. We have some fancy ones we bought. And last year, M & I actually took a glassblowing class and came home with ornaments we made.
    
23. What do you want for Christmas this year? I
24. Angel or star on top tree: A Star
25. Favorite meal: My Gram always made Swedish Pancakes for breakfast on Christmas Day! She'd get up so early to get started, and then keep a bunch warming in the oven. She was usually turning pancakes for 15!

Sheep Ornament

I HAVE to make these and these. What are you up to this Christmas?

Menu Plan Monday

I started planning my menu this completely in August. It really helped me to cut back on my food budget. Early in the summer, when I clicked over on a linky from Works for Me Wednesday :: Rocks In My Dryer, I found The Grocery Cart Challenge. I love the tips I'm learning. And, with the tough economy, some of you might be wondering how to cut back a bit. Head over to Gayle's blog, and then consider a menu plan. I usually plan my menu on Friday or Saturday and get the groceries Saturday or Sunday. Right now that depends on my work schedule. I like to get the groceries on Saturday so that Sunday can be a day of Sabbath at our house. I've pretty much lost that for this season of life, but I'm hoping to cut back at work after Christmas. Anyways, on to the menu....

Breakfast
Monday: Cold Cereal and sliced bananas.
Tuesday: Egg Burritos
Wednesday: Sweet Potato Waffles (from the freezer)
Thursday: English Muffins
Friday: Plain Old Oatmeal
Saturday: Eggs, Sausage, and Biscuits (from the freezer)
Sunday: ???

Lunch
Monday: Muffin-Tin Monday ( I saw this on a blog somewhere...fill each muffin cup with something different and the kids can eat together...I may have to use mini muffin tins as mine don't share food well. We'll start with celery with a PB dip in another cup, Craisins, Goldfish, Pretzels, Cream Cheese Dip, Dried Apricots, and some M & M's for dessert. I'll have to see if we need all 12 cups full or if this is enough. I could add grapes, cheese cubes, crackers, and a small cookie if we're still hungry. This is a great way to empty the cupboard of things that otherwise wouldn't be enough for everyone.)
Tuesday: Lunchables
Wednesday: Mac-n-Cheese @ the park in Travel Thermos. =0) They've been dying to use these for a hot lunch to go.
Thursday: Burritos after the library
Friday: Ham Sandwiches after CBS

Dinner
Monday: Mexican Lasagna (doubled for the freezer)
Tuesday: Chicken Spaghetti (doubled to trade with Jen)
Wednesday: Stromboli
Thursday: Potato Soup (from freezer)
Friday: Enchiladas from Jen
Saturday: I'll probably let M order pizza while I'm at work
Sunday: ???

***I have a large freezer in my garage. This SAVES me many days. I'm more than happy to double a recipe when I know that some busy day I'll have a frozen dinner ready to go. This is also how I do pancakes and waffles. I'm NOT a morning person. But my kids LOVE breakfast. Not just cereal. I'll make up a big batch of pancakes and freeze most for future use. We're not so much about the white flour, especially before school. My kids are wiggly enough without white flour and syrup. I make these and we have them with honey or fruit spread. I Heart My Freezer!

What's his name?

We've tried so many names. The kids liked Bebo for awhile (after a CD in our playlist), we tried Rusteez (from Cars), and then Harvey, but none of them stuck.

Sometime in the last few weeks though, we've decided on Rex. Like in T-Rex. Not sure why, but it works. We still call him Kitters, Kitty, and whatever, but if someone asks...now we have a name.

Rex has some strange behaviors. I grew up with 2 cats, so I know they can be strangely finicky, but he seems to take the cake. Rex likes to drink from the shower. He'll go to the master bathroom and meow until I turn on the shower...just enough to wet the floor, then he'll go in and drink. He's horrible at climbing onto the counters and trying to drink from our cups. He's even tasted my coffee. He's broken 2 glasses too. I think he's worse than the kids.

Over Thanksgiving we discovered that he LOVES whipped cream. Now, I know this isn't good for him, so I'm not feeding this to him regularly, but someone in his past must have. He comes running when ever he hears that squirt can of whipped cream. And today, he ate refried beans from one of the kids burritos. I didn't know cat's would do that!

We're still enjoying this furball. My only worry is that the kids love him too much. He doesn't have many hiding places in our house. And just in this week, the kids 'pretended' to give him a bath, but they really put him in the tub. He also climbed into the cupboard space of our kid kitchen...so the kids locked him in there. Poor thing. I hope our love makes up for the abuse. I'm doing my best to look out for him.

WIP and a contest.

Where have I been? Mostly just home or at work, but SO BUSY that my computer time has been zilch. I'm checking emails and keeping up with my google calendar, but I wasn't even downloading my photos. I just had to get this up. There's a contest over at Scout's Swag. And she wants to know what your WIP is. I'm working with some of her yarn...and LOVING IT...so I had to post this.

I was taking photos of my kids in the yard when my yarn arrived. I took photos of the skein, and then when I saw them in the viewer...right next to the Bird of Paradise...I gasped. The yarn was a perfect match. These are now my BoP socks. I can't wait to wear them. Now, this wasn't what Scout had in mind when she dyed the yarn, but I'm sure she'll love the collage.

 

And I have 6 posts in draft. They just need photos or text. I never seem to get both going on the same day. I'm going to get back to regular posting real soon. I miss this outlet...and I might go crazy during the holiday season if I can't let some of it out.

Fire

I know some of you will see OC fires on the news and know how close we are. Here's an article. I can see Brea High School from my back yard because we are at the top of a hill. We're about 4 miles from the fire, but I have countless friends evacuating right now. I'm going to dessert with Krissy. I'm going to try to forget about the mess for a bit. I hope you all are having a blessed weekend.

Happy Birthday 7!

Mining for 7's birthday!

M, Pop, and Uncle Dad went Mining! This was an all day activity. I had 7 tell me all about the day, and I just wrote everything he said. Here's his story.

Let's hope I remember to add his story when I have time to type it here.

Still here...

...just sooooo busy.

Some of it it great fun.
Fishing at the lake with a Parks & Rec instructor. It was a fieldtrip with our co-op. Park days. Treeclimbers. M camping with the guys from church. Visiting the "Liberty Bell". (We were studying Pennsylvania.)

Some of it is required.
School. Work. Cleaning the house. Laundry. Repeat.

Some of it is knitting.
When I get to playing catch-up, I'll tell you how sweet Allison is. For now, I'll say that I'm addicted to the Bee Stitch Washcloth. I'm on my 3rd one. Somehow, that's all the counting that my brain is able to do at the end of the day. Yet knitting in the stitch below makes it all more exciting.

So, for now...aDayInTheLife of almost 7, 5, & 3 looks like this.

Wake up way to early. Coffee for me. Breakfast the little ones. Start school. (Today I'm late with the 'Start School' because the coffee just isn't kicking in...and I wanted to type this.) Try to juggle, I mean try to teach each child math at their own level while keeping the others from making too big of a mess. Lunch for us. Reading. Art/Play outside. Make dinner so it's ready when everyone is ready to eat. My mom comes at 4pm. I leave at 4:30. M isn't home until 6:30. Work until 11pm. Come home exhausted, but not ready to fall asleep. Bed by midnight. Repeat. (I usually only work 2 nights a week, but the other nights are just more crammed with finishing things up around the house and making preparations so that on the days I do work things run smoothly.)

I want to make a list of things I learned from unemployment. I also want to make a list of things I've taken for granted when I was a retired-architect/SAHM. I've also been working on a thankful list...maybe that will be ready by Thanksgiving.

Shorter Days and BIG NEWS

It always happens this time of year. With the sun setting earlier each day, the kids want dinner earlier. (But why don't they want to go to bed earlier?!) I get less done in spite of my growing "TO-DO" list. I'll write a catch up post soon. But for now...

Thursday (the 9th) was my anniversary. The boys went with Nana for the weekend, and Friday 3 went to spend the night with Grandma and Pop-pop. What did I do? Go to bed at 2pm. I was feeling a sore throat coming on, and before 3 even left so that Mom and Dad could go out to dinner, I was out. This morning, I feel that the sleep was totally needed. I did get up at 7pm and had a cup of tea, but then I slept right through to 8am.

I work today and tomorrow. That leaves precious little time for pulling pages for next week's school, writing a meal plan and grocery list, shopping for groceries, and cleaning up the house, and doing laundry. I will still make it to church, but where did my Sabbath day go? I really want to achieve a 'day of rest' and it seems the harder I try the more unattainable it is.

So, someday I'll...

download photos to my computer, back them up, order prints, knit, take photos of my knitting, blog about my knitting, blog about school...I'll stop now with the list. It just doesn't make me feel better about my day.

I've been keeping up with devotions and one of those places I visit is Praise & Coffee. Here she wrote about Supermom. Don't you know I just love that topic?! Read her article if you don't know why I "LOVE" being a Supermom. Really, I don't want to be one, but the minimal level of clean that I was ok with has now given way to "Please, step over the piles!" I'm spreading myself too thin. My husband and children NEED to step up and do more around the house if I'm going to work outside the home.

And for the BIG NEWS before I go iron my blouse for work...M starts a new job on Monday. After a week with second interviews he was left with multiple offers to choose from. Ultimately, he chose the every other Friday off job. I think it will be a good fit for our family. But, I will need to continue to work until we're back up on our feet. (It's been 10 weeks with no job) Just the HOPE that comes from knowing there will be a big paycheck before our next mortgage is due is fantastic.

So, the knitting that I'm not photographing, or the knitting that I am photographing but don't have time to post...
I finished my BYOB
I CO for another smaller market bag with the remnants of Cotton-Ease and it's almost done...if I can just remember where I set the pattern.
I'm to the toe decreases on the 2nd Sanity Sock
I've finished 3 more washcloths
I have new yarn to photograph
I think I'll leave it at that. If I normally comment at your blog, but I haven't been around...there just isn't enough hours right now. I miss the time to email.

And Tammy, my only 'spelling errors' here are th in 9th, ok, and nd in 2nd! I do know what you mean about zero missed spellings.

More to pray about...

Wisdom. It's hard to make decisions that will change the future for your family when you don't even have all the information. Today, M received an offer from the Thursday interview. He's tentatively accepted that, but there is paperwork to be signed and the have projected the 13th as his start date. Then, the Wednesday interview invited M for a 2nd interview. M really feels that this would be an opportunity for them to offer him a position. These jobs really mean completely different things for our family. One job structures the week differently so that employees get every other Friday off. One job could possibly mean a 2 hour commute home because of L.A. traffic. One job will stretch M's management skills. One job will allow him to be a designer. And that's only what we currently know about the companies. We all know that things look different from the inside. We'll have lots to pray about in the next weeks. Also, while there is a job on the horizon, we still have a few weeks before we get a paycheck. I do not doubt that HE will provide though. Thank you all for your prayers these past 2 months! I know that in all this, it is nothing that I have done, and only my Father that brings peace.

Good Things

Somehow, that always makes me think of that maven who has cornered the market on 'living'. She fed my need to be a SuperMom so I canceled that subscription. Anyways, this isn't about that kind of 'good things'. It's amazing how quickly things can turn around. On Tuesday, I worked a full day training. I learned to use a register. That was the scariest part for me, but I'm good now I think. While I was at work, M got phone call after phone call. By the time I got home, he had 3 interviews scheduled!!! PTL! Yesterday's interview was near Wildfiber. The closest LYS to today's interview is 2 Old Divas. Tomorrow's interview is near The Sheared Sheep. Like how I think? I'm hopeful that one of these will turn into a job for M.

Yesterday, I was able to spend the day at the day with our homeschool group at the County Fair. It was FREE! We went as a school group, and even had a pass for parking. When we watched the cow milking demonstration, the kids all got a FREE milk to drink. And after watching the pig races, each adult got a coupon for a FREE pound of bacon. We had packed our lunches...a huge savings. So, we were able to enjoy a day out with minimal cost. I don't think I would have had the same appreciation for that last spring. I think we may be going to the Aquarium next week for FREE too.

My favorite part of the Fair was the spinning demonstration. One of the spinners has an etsy shop. I drooled over the hank of yarn that she had spun from the Ram in her backyard. 6's favorite thing was the Seep Dog demonstration. They had the Sheep Dog chase the sheep down for the sheep shearing. 5's favorite thing was grinding dried corn into cornmeal with a hand crank grinder. 3's favorite part was the Pig Races.

When I got home from the Fair, there was a package waiting for me. Allison sent me a 'pick me up'! I should have taken a photo first, but I didn't. Instead, I CO right away for a washcloth with the yarn and pattern in the package.

I typed this yesterday, but with scheduled blogger outages...I couldn't add photos. I'll try to add them later.

Faith

I was at work just to fill out paperwork yesterday, and then I needed to buy some black pants as none of my 'stay at home mom' wardrobe fit the uniform. My first full day is Tuesday. I will enjoy the work most days...I think I'll be really tired when I'm out until midnight then getting up with the kids in the morning.

With well over 100 resumes out there...someone has to call for M soon. Like everyone else, we'll be waiting to see how the economy responds to the bail-out. While I'm waiting...I need reminders like this. And a friend shared this quote with me. "Second only to suffering, waiting may be the greatest teacher and trainer in godliness, maturity, and genuine spirituality most of us ever encounter." by Ben Patterson. I know I'm learning. I know this process is a chance for growth. I would like to be more open to the training, more grounded in my faith instead of shaking like a leaf.

Knitwise: I haven't posted much. I've turned the heel on my 2nd Sanity Sock. I'll have to decide if they are going to be a Christmas gift, or open up the toe on the first sock and add a few rows before the toe decrease. I followed the pattern, and they are a bit too short for me. They would however fit my SIL perfectly...she's about a 1/2 size smaller than me. Over the weekend, I started an afghan with homespun in my stash. I don't really like this yarn, but considering it's been waiting in my stash for so long...and the prospect of 'free' Christmas gifts is enticing, I CO. Then, my middle child claimed that this one should belong to him. I did knit a blanket with homespun for when my oldest turned 5. Middle child never picked out yarn for his 5th birthday. I'll just keep knitting and decide later who this is for. No one is likely to turn away a soft blanket.

Kitters arrived on Friday. My children are over the moon. Unlike a typical rescue cat, this one laid down on the living room floor when they let him out of the cage. The SCAR (Southern CA Aby Rescue) workers commented how unusual this is. It is normal for a rescue cat to hide under a bed for a week. Now, Kitters did hide under the bed for a bit yesterday afternoon, but I think that is just because 3 shadows had become too much. He re-appeared when the little ones were asleep. Now...we need a new name. We've tried a lot...but usually one of us doesn't like the name. We'll take any suggestions now.

And today, I start my new job. I applied at Michael's (yes, the craft store) and they hired me quickly. I'll be working in the framing department. I'm excited to use color theory and layout experience from college and my working days. I'm not thrilled to be away from my family. I'm also a little sad that they pay less than I gave my babysitters. When M does return to work, I'll have to have my mom or someone else cover the gap between when I leave and M returns. I couldn't pay a sitter! I'm hopeful that soon this money will be the additional income that we add to our savings account to replenish it. In the mean time, every little bit will help.

I'm learning a whole new way of life. My laundry comes out just as clean if I fill the little cap less full for each load. Half my normal amount (which was still less than called for) of fabric softner will still soften each load. I'm hanging clothes to dry while it's hot (well, I used to hang my clothes, but now I'm hanging most loads). I did want to live a little greener, so this is helping. Just in case we need to relocate, we're finishing up the projects that we have all around the house. Last weekend I finished stripping most of the grout in the kitchen and resealing/polishing the floors. Last night, M worked on the cupboards. Last summer, we had started using Briwax on the cupboards and then changing out the knobs. For a year now...we've had 2 kinds of knobs in the kitchen. I'm glad to be finishing these projects...and hopefully we won't be moving before we enjoy them.

Off to church...then off to work.

Nothing yet

No cat yet. Kitters (soon to be re-named) had to take a little trip back to the vet for observation, so the rescue woman decided she would bring him by this weekend. I forgot to ask if that meant Friday or Saturday.

No job yet. Today, M got a call from the firm he was hoping to hear from and they hired 2 people, but just not him.

So the cat is coming to live with us...

Are we crazy? I hope not. Kitters was at the vet. Turns out my neighbor was just playing up the drama. He only needed a few teeth pulled. The Aby rescue took care of that considering our situation. Kitters will be coming to live with us tomorrow night. They're bringing a bag of food to get us started too. I can't say enough about how great these people I've met are...and how sweet this cat is.

On the job front, I've lost count at the number of resumes and phone calls. No interviews even lined up at this point. We're not really sure where to go from here. But, we'll continue to trust. Thanks for all the prayers.

Prayer Request!

Today we got some bad news about the job that was all but offered last week.  The company is planning on filling more than one position...and now they want to interview 4 more next week before making their final decision. It turns out that one of those interviewing is one of M's old co-workers, one of the 4 laid-off. By the time they finish those interviews, that would mean that we don't hear anything for at least another week...probably 2. We can't wait that long. M has continued to send out resumes...but still no more interviews lined up.

I know that many of you are praying. I just wanted to give you some specifics.

Please Pray...

that M stays encouraged.
that we all stay HOPEFUL.
for more interviews!!!
for us to grow together as a family, even when this situation makes tensions high.

Family update

Out to lunch in Napa, my FIL took photos of our little clan. Most of the photos actually looked something like this one.

But then, we lucked out and got this one!

It's funny...a part of me wants some fancy shmancy family portraits. But, truly...that's not who we are. I love this special memory of our day in downtown Napa...wiggly kids and all.

When I'm not knitting, I might be reading....

I think that many knitters also like to read. When I was over at Chan's Blog awhile back, and then on Katie's, I saw posts about The Big Read. The Big Read is an NEA program designed to encourage community reading initiatives and of their top 100 books, they estimate the average adult has read only six.

*Look at the list and bold those we have read.
*Italicize those we intend to read....(I'm skipping this part for now)


1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling (some but not all...)
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveler’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams (I've read all four of the trilogy.)
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan (In progress.)
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo


Did you make it to the bottom of the list? I'm glad that I've read about 1/3 of these books. But, I need to read more. I'm starting a new book this week (not from this list). There's a few knitters that I'll be reading The Red Tent with. I'm excited to read as I've not picked up a book since last spring. So...if my knitting time suffers...It's because I'm reading.

Daytime kitty.

Turns out my next door neighbor picked up the kitty. She has a cat/dog door, and this kitty is super friendly. While the neighbor is at work, her kitty will hang out in the yard with my kids. I'd say this is a good trade off. We'll keep him company...and she can make sure he's in her house at night. He has some dental problems. He probably needs to be on a soft food diet, and I'm sure they didn't cater to his needs while he was at the shelter before the rescue picked him up. I hope he is happy with the neighborhood here. We can all love him.

Are we a cat home?

Except for the gecko, we've not yet looked for a pet. They seem to find us though. This morning, I turned around and there was a kitty walking in my living room! My first though...well, after "What's that cat doing in the house!?"...was, "That sure looks like Reggae!" Sure enough. I called the phone # on the tag for the chip company and the cat wasn't registered yet. Several phone #'s later, I left a message for the So.Cal. Abyssinian Rescue. This cat sure thinks he belongs in our house. If we can't find his owner...we might just have a new kitty for a bit. I can't leave him with no food. Here's 5 eating his breakfast outside...because he just couldn't be away from the kitty.

And here the kids have lined up their kitties to meet the new one.

He doesn't sit still for a photo...so this is the best I got this morning. I'm sure there will be more. Tonight we're going for a walk to see if he belongs to a neighbor.

And what I said about them finding us. 2 years ago we had this kitty. Oreo lived with us for 3 weeks before I found someone to rescue the kitty. She needed to be rescued. Then 3 was only 18 months and couldn't understand gentle. Oreo lived on the roof of our shed...and always came when called. Good thing we still had the kitty dishes I bought last time.

Frugal Friday

Ironically, it was just before M lost his job that I found Gayle at The Grocery Cart Challenge. She's started hosting a Frugal Friday recipe swap. I've wanted to post before, but had challenges getting to my computer on a Friday. Yesterday I made something we all really liked. No real recipe. I'm curious if someone else would try it and let me know if they like it.

1# Beef Stew Meat (smallish cubes)
4t. Beef bullion
1t. Cumin
1t. Lemon Pepper
1T. Dried Cilantro
1 can tomatoes (I used Hunt's new Fire Roasted, but I'm sure you could substitute.)
1c. rice
Water

Brown the meat in Dutch Oven or other soup pot. It doesn't need to be brown through, the rest will cook with the rice. Add Spices, Tomatoes, Rice, and Water. (At least 4 cups of water, but you could add more if you wanted this to be more soup than stew.) Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes for the rice to cook through. Serve with some shredded cheese, sour cream, extra diced onion. I left the onion out when cooking because my kids don't like it, but this would be really good with a diced onion thrown in when the meat is browning.

Seriously. I'd love to know what someone else thinks about this. And I need a name for this recipe too. How many servings would you say this is? It will definitely feed 6 probably with left overs. I know it's a little HOT to be eating soups/stews, but Fall will be here soon. M accidentally thawed the Stew Meat so I had to come up with something. I'm glad my family liked this. Will yours?

Gram Knits #4

It's been awhile since I posted one of these. While I was up in Napa, I did more cleaning of my Gram's craft room. I found this magazine...I just had to share. The September issue cost 10 cents!

M took the kids to the football game. I'm heading to the Corner Bakery for a Mom's Night Out with some other homeschoolers. I just need to decide to bring a sock or a cloth?! Hmmm. Maybe both. =0)

Why is it so HOT?!

I'm learning how spoiled I've been these last few years. I never gave a thought to running the A/C. I never thought twice before going to the grocery store...we were able to afford those things. I've experienced so much in life. I really have seen true poverty. I was in a bread line in Russia in 1993. I've been to Mexico and met families who live in cardboard homes. We have a World Vision child. I've always donated animals through organizations like Heifer to help families earn an income for themselves. I've enjoyed being able to help others. Now, I've been in a position of needing help. Not like I need a roof over my head...or rice for dinner (at least not yet). But, we were having a meeting at the local coffee shop. Someone offered to buy my latte. I couldn't say no. It's so different...needing help. It's opened my eyes again to other's needs. I think this will help me to see where someone else needs encouragement. I'm so grateful for the people that have been blessings in my life the last few weeks. I pray that this changes me. That I not only remember to support the hungry children of the world...but also my neighbors.

We've not run the A/C since July (except the day of 3's dental work). Today it was 88 in the house. It's almost 11pm and it's only cooled down to 84. It's too HOT to knit. Except for the projects yesterday...all I've been able to work on is washcloths. I have so much pretty yarn...and I'm too hot to knit.

This may be over soon. I think we'll be careful about working back into normal spending, but it looks like M will have a job soon. The interview went well today. We're just waiting on a background check. I'm thrilled...this job will be better than the one he was at. I've been trying to focus on how God's timing is ALWAYS right. This company has only been in this building 3 months. If M had started looking for a job months ago when things were first unsettled at his old place...then he wouldn't have found this job. 3's dental work wouldn't have been covered if we had tried to do this work 4 months ago...there was a convenient insurance change that was newly in effect when we tried the new dentist. I could never plan something better than HE can. But still, why is it so hard to trust when it seems "security" isn't secure?

And...why is it so HOT?

See...there is knitting!

I have been knitting. My socks have been my carry around project. I was totally thrilled that they completely match the bag I'm using. (It was from my first swap...thanks Katie.)



I'm still working away on my BYOB. I didn't knit the handles first. Now, I'm a few rows away from needing them so I'll have to work on those and for that I need to be able to sit for more than 2 minutes. This is with Cotton Ease from Grace, and from my stash.

We started school. I have yet to update my other blog because this is the first chance I've had at my desktop. This is usually where M is sitting sending off resumes and responding to emails. Another interview Wednesday at 3:30. We're praying this is the one! We can't go much longer without him getting just a job (not something that's a career job...and me possibly starting to work nights at the mall or a grocery store...or maybe a lys...hmm...wonder if they would need me?)

We've been studying Massachusetts this week. Anyone from MA want to send us a post card? Next week is Maine...and the following week is New Hampshire. I'd love to be able to collect postcards from every state this year. I wonder if that's possible.

***ETA: It was killing me that these photos didn't show up. I've had that happen a few times when I upload using Picassa?! They're just fine if I go the old photoshop way of cropping and saving smaller.

Me...in 1986!

I was looking through photo albums at my Gramp's house. Look what I found....My first washcloth!

Something I crocheted, but I don't even know what this project is/was or where it ended up. And this 2nd one might be 87. I look a little older. I didn't have time to fully investigate the the dates...but I'm sure I was only 11 where I'm knitting.

Third Post...First Day of School

3-ism. That guy was so mean to me. He just pinched me!

The anesthesiologist came in and said, "You're going to feel a little pinch." Well, 3 thinks he did pinch her...and it still hurts. =0) She won't believe me that it was a shot. Thankfully, that's all she remembers.

Once the cranky wore off, she's been wonderful all day. We thought there might be some pain from the procedure, but she just says, "Mom, it doesn't hurt anymore." I had taken her in 6 or 8 months ago. That dentist didn't want to work on her because she wasn't 3 yet! He said the pain was probably from cutting her next molars. We now have a wonderful NEW (to us) dentist that I will recommend to everyone I know. Well, my little one had been in pain for probably 9+ months. And today, PTL, that pain is gone. She's so grateful! And we're so thankful that our dental insurance ran through the end of the month.

5 will get his special breakfast tomorrow morning. And hopefully I'll take some pictures. Today I totally forgot to take out the camera.

I'm off to knit. I need some relaxation time.

Second Post...First Day of School

3 is home. 10 fillings! PTL! They didn't need to pull her two front teeth. We had to be prepared for that if it was needed, but I'm so glad that she's still a little girl. Even my boys haven't lost all their top teeth yet.

The boys did all of their school for today except math. I think I'll work on that after lunch.

First Post...First Day of School.

Today may be a multi post day. I'm nervous. My littlest is at the dentist under sedation right now. I know I'm more nervous than she was. She was ready for this. I woke her up at 6:10 and told her it was time for the dentist. She jumped out of bed like she did when I woke her up for Napa. What a trooper.

Today is also the first day of school. I think that most likely, tomorrow will hold all the special things that we can't do today. M will take 5 out to a special breakfast like he did with 6 last year. And we've got a field trip planned for Friday.

Update in a few hours...

Tahoe

In Napa, my Gram's neighbors got 2 cats about the time my Gram passed away in 2006. My kids have been making regular trips (usually one at a time) with their Nana to visit their Great-Grandpa. And as a bonus, they get to visit Tahoe. I know I said 2 cats, lately Reno isn't as social as Tahoe. When we arrived, my kids stood at the end of the driveway and called, "Tahoe!". She came. And from that moment on, she was there on the porch when the kids woke up and came to the screen door on the back deck to say good night. She ate their granola bars. So, we bought some cat treats. But this must be some spoiled kitty. She tried to drink my coffee. When the kids were riding razors up the street, Tahoe would sit in my lap as I knit in a lawn chair. I could get used to that. Here's some of our memories.

Almost Finished!

When I left for Napa, the living room looked like this...

I left on Sunday morning with Nana (my mom) and the kids. Mike stayed to finish painting the wall and drove up with his parents on Tuesday. That gave him all day Monday to make phone calls to companies as well. MIL & FIL vacation in Napa frequently too. For years, we've been saying that we need to make our vacations concurrent so we can spend time together. I'm so glad it worked out this time. Mike drove home with his parents on Saturday, and I stayed on until Tuesday. He had time to stain the shelves & move the them back into the living room without little ones under foot. I came home to this...

I think I'll have one more post when I get things organized on the shelves again. M still has to hook up the volume controls for the garage and backyard. The ones we had weren't working so he took them back. We never did buy a light for the kitchen and now our cash flow won't allow choosing a fun fixture. I'm thinking we'll have to buy the $7 glass square at the HD since I can't cook with no light.

Fushia

It's not quite Friday on the West Coast yet, but I'm going to get this up early for tomorrow. Here's my Friday Flower. I've been unable to be consistent this summer, but this is a really special flower. It's a Fushia. From my Gramp's backyard. I'm just home from Napa, and trying to get ready for the first day of school on Monday, so things are a little crazy. When I'm scattered, flowers make me feel centered.

My Gram taught us to pop open fushia bloom when they looked as if they would burst. It was such a joy watching my 3 at their Great-Gramp's house popping flowers as I have done so many times. I've got some special memories of our trip to share, and some almost FO's so I hope to be back to blogging. I've missed typing my thoughts.

We have sound!

On Friday night, M got the speakers in the living room working. After 8 hours of switching cables and fiddling with the remote yesterday, the rest of the speakers (except for the garage and outside) are working. Today's NASCAR race was in every room of the house.

I've been thinking. If necessary, I have yarn to make something for everyone on my Christmas list. I guess this is a benefit of stash. I'm working on a BYOB right now, with yarn from Grace, and leftovers from this tank. Not that I was planning on giving that away...this one is for me.

Potential Knits Gift List

• burgandy felted slippers for MIL
• homespun afghan for MIL & FIL
• downpour STR for FIL
• Navy felted purse for MOM.
  
• Hat for Bro.
• assorted washcloths
  

And for the kids...I've been wanting to make these. I'm sure that I can make those for less than $48. I'll probably make those for me nephews too. Every kid needs to be a superhero.

Have you started your Christmas knitting yet?

Still Shaking...

But this time it's something different. Yesterday afternoon, M came home without a job. I feel like the earth is still shaking. I know that God will care for us. Matt 10:29-31. I know that we're not the only ones. But, I'm still shaking.

Last night, to stop and catch a breath, M went to see Batman with my brother. M's cousin (the one I taught to knit) came over last night so I could help her start a new pattern. It felt so good to knit while 3 slept (the boys were at Grandma & Grandpa's). And our something special...we had music to knit to. The system was set up to test connections. The living room speakers are great. M has some wires to straighten out before the garage, backyard, and bedrooms are working. Maybe we'll buy drywall this weekend.

And Monday morning begins the new job search. For those of you that have gone through this before, when do you tell the kids? I was thinking that M should run errands on Monday and sit at Starbucks for the WiFi and put out resumes. If he came home for dinner, we wouldn't have to tell the kids just yet. We can't do that for long though. I'm a little worried about how 6 will take this. He's still wearing socks and shoes in case there's another earthquake with broken glass.

Well that was fun

I was on the way out the door to have lunch with a friend. My mom had come over to watch the kiddos...and the earth started shaking. I live probably 10 miles from the epicenter. It shook quite a bit here. Only the shower doors fell off. Thank God they fell into the shower and that the glass didn't break. I was able to fix that easy enough.

6 is still pretty shaken up. I found some color pages from the USGS that explain the earth's crust, mantle and core, and also show types of faults. I hope this satisfies his curiosities. The other kids were less disturbed by this afternoon's events.

So while that was fun...my lunch was the real FUN!
I got to meet a knitter at the local Corner Bakery. I went to high school, college, and even China with this special knitter. Then when we lived in different cities, we lost touch with one another. I was so surprised to see her in Michael's a few weeks ago. And really excited to discover that she's a knitter and even on Ravelry too. It will be so fun catching up...and maybe soon we can start exploring some of the not so local LYS in our area together. Thanks for a fun lunch. =0)

Stereo Update #3

I think we're getting closer. I did ask M if we'd be able to watch the Olympics, and he wasn't sure. I don't think I'll sign up for the Ravelympics. My knitting time is totally sucked up by the construction project. And if I'm not watching my favorite sports on TV, then I probably won't be sitting knitting.

Here is the speaker in the backyard. Those wires need to connect to the back.


Here is the left side of the fireplace. The main channel speaker will go in the MDF panel that's there. There's another panel like this on the right side of the fireplace for the sub woofer.


Here's the end of all those blue tubes. Each wire needs to be connected to something on one of those plates.


There are a few holes like this in the house. They were cut when there wasn't space in the attic for the drill to access the wall. These will need to be patched. Then the wall repainted. There's some discussion about what color the wall should be. M is leaning towards metallic blue. That has me a bit nervous.


As of last night, all the holes in the ceiling are cut and speakers are connected to the wires in the attic. We can't test them until the wires are connected to those plates and then the equipment is brought in. When we get there, M will pop little grill plates on each of the speakers. They'll be white except for the wall speakers that will be painted wall color.


Each of the bedrooms and the kitchen now have these little power/volume controls next to the light switches.

Our kitchen light gave out, and since he was in the attic anyways, M looked to see if we could put a can light in this hole, or locate a speaker here. Neither works as there is house structure in the way. We need to pick a new light...so I can see to cook, but we're having trouble agreeing on one we both like.

Here's the entry light. (Ballard Design)

Here's the light over the kitchen table. (West Elm)

The kitchen light will be between these two. We tend to like lighting that we can't afford, so we search forever to find something that we like that's inexpensive. We have this one in our front bathroom, but would consider buying it again. I like this one, except it's more than we can spend on a light, and fabric isn't a good option in my kitchen with all the little ones (you wouldn't believe the number of times I've cleaned yogurt off the ceiling...and my kids are good...it just splashes when spilled). I like this one, but wonder if it looks more like it belongs in a bathroom than a kitchen. This one (in the checkerboard) is M's favorite. I think I like the pleats, but I'm not sure. And this one is good too, but M doesn't like it. Any opinions?!? Suggestions?!? Please help! If we can't decide soon, the time will change, and I'll be cooking in the dark. For now, we're lucky that it's still light at 8pm and we have lots of windows.

I almost forgot...and here's the speaker in the garage. This one is connected at the speaker, but M needed a soldering iron to install this switch and the one for the backyard. Yes, those are Christmas lights. M strung them from the rafters last year, and decided it was too much work to remove them, so we've been enjoying them all year. We have a little remote switch for those.

3-isms

Last year, I'd post 2-isms. I've been saving a few good ones and meaning to type them out.

In a public restroom with my mom, 3 says: "Hey, they have bird houses in here!" (She was looking at the feminine waste receptacles. The ones that sit on the floor between 2 stalls with the swinging lid.)

After church: "I got to stand on church's couch so I could sing!" (She meant the pew.)

Walking up to church last Sunday: "Ope! That's my church's hat!" (I went to their website and I couldn't find a photo to show what she means. But, our church's main building sort of looks like a pizza hut.)

Bullet Points

Right now, I'm not sure how else to organize my thoughts. They're so random for this post.

• I've had internet all week, as not as much work gets done on the house during the week. Also, I anticipated the drywall going back up soonish. And that's another time I'll be un-plugged for a bit. I realize now, that won't be happening until next weekend at the earliest.
• M came home with paint samples, except it's a two part system. To even test out the colors we'll be mixing the parts. He's leaning toward a metallic blue. I picked a black cherry.
  
• We started staining the shelves that go on either side of the fireplace. I figure there's somewhere near 30 hours of work that need to be done on just the shelves. YIKES!
• VBS is next week. I'm in charge of the crafts for Kindergarten 1. There's so many kids...we have 2 rooms of Kindergarten. I'll post some of the numbers because it is just unreal to me. I'm blown away every year. This is my 3rd year working VBS since having kids.
• If I don't have time for email or blog next week...VBS is why.
• I ripped out my Sanity Sock. Last night I CO with 60 stitches. Taking out one of the purl stitches between pattern repeats seemed the easiest fix. I'll update when I get a few repeats in and can see where this is going. If this doesn't work, I found that there's a simple sock pattern on the Jitterbug Ballband...so I'll be trying that.
  
• Rosa's socks are still a toe away from starting #2. I might just leave these on hold until I can show someone in person and get an opinion. Photographing my own feet doesn't leave the most pleasing results.
• This week, I finally moved Square Cake over to a NEW bamboo circ. I'll have to figure out where I am in that pattern. I really want this for M's office Christmas party next year. It's one of the few times M and I enjoy a fancy dinner out.
• I CO for a BYOB. I didn't check gauge, just grabbed the recommended needles. I'm way off. But, I figure this will just make a bigger (not quite as sturdy) bag. I know I'll be making more than one...as a looser bag, this will be good for beach towels at the least. I'm using some stash and the yarn from Grace in my Dishcloth Swap package.
  
• I was cruising Ravelry and found a link posted in a group for a free CD download. I just downloaded it, so I can't give a full review yet...but if you go here...and get the CD for yourself, let me know what you think of these boys.
• I'm nervous for the start of the school year, but I'm looking forward to the return of routine. It's hard for me to remember what day of the week it is this summer.
  

Orange Day

The Friday before VBS we celebrated ORANGE DAY!

We started off the morning with our ORANGE collages. Early in the summer, the kids helped to separate all the craft supplies by color so it was easy to quickly pull out a box. Only ORANGE colored pencils, markers, crayons, stamp pads, foamies, stickers, and yarn. I let the kids have hole punches, scissors (plain and zig-zag), glue, glue sticks, tape, and double-stick tape. They have a ball with all these supplies.


Our snack before our friends came over to play ORANGE kitties.


In cleaning out her garage, my mom found a stack of ORANGE cones. They must have been from when my dad was my brother's soccer coach. The kids had a blast with 10 ORANGE traffic cones. And I know I'll appreciate these for setting up relay games in the future.

Our lunch was...mac-n-cheese, carrots with orange fiesta dip, mango, nectarine, mandarin oranges, cheetos, and TJ's tropical carrot juice. The kids all did great trying some new things. 3 LOVES mandarin oranges. Who knew?

And the highlight of the day....our little science experiment. In case you want to try this at home. Here are the supplies: shallow pan, milk, food coloring, dish soap.


Pour a enough milk to cover the bottom of the pan and drop food coloring around. Notice how it pretty much stays where it is. Here we used Red and Yellow...because we wanted to make ORANGE .


Just a drop of dish soap and BAM! This is so fun.

After about a minute, the kids decided this looks like Mars.

You can google if you want to know why this happens.