HAPPY NEW YEAR AND HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!!




Today is our 16th wedding anniversary. Wow, I can't believe how fast the time has gone. I wish you all a very Happy and Healthy New Year.

MERRY CHRISTMAS......from my family to yours.


Here are the leg warmers that I made for my mother-in-law. Finally, I have a finished object to share on this knitting blog.
My family Christmas went really well on Saturday. We all had a good time. We were expecting a winter storm, so most everyone was gone by 4:00. The snow didn't start until 8:00 or so, but I'm glad everyone got home okay. I'm looking forward to some quiet time with my own family tonight and tomorrow. It will be very low key and wonderful.

Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas. Happy knitting!!

Ready or not......

Tomorrow my family is coming down to celebrate Christmas. I baked 8 dozen cookies and will be participating in a cookie exchange this morning with my Bible Study friends. This afternoon I plan on cleaning and then getting the egg bakes ready to put in the fridge. The tables will get set and then hopefully I can enjoy tomorrow. I've finished wrapping the gifts (which by the way, my boys have unwrapped a few of their own presents and re-wrapped them again!!), cards have been sent, and decorating is done. Why do I do this to myself? I'm trying to have a magical time for my family, but the stress is killing me. Christmas comes no matter if I get all this accomplished or not, so why do I feel the need to do this every year?

Tom's mom would love to be preparing for Christmas, so I need to be thankful that I am able to do all of these things for my family. Tom and I brought a small tree to her and decorated it. It really does look nice in her room and brings some holiday cheer for her. She is getting stronger and we are hoping that she continues to build her strength so she can get out of bed for longer periods of time. She is an amazing woman whom I love dearly.

Okay I'm off to get ready for my cookie exchange. Hopefully I can blog again before Christmas and show you all a finished project!! Happy knitting!

Tom wanted me to post a different "elf" because he was a girl in the last one. So here it is

I am done decorating for Christmas. Yeah!! My cards will be ready to send out by Friday and next week will be for baking and getting ready for my family on Dec. 22.

Tom's mom will be going to the nursing home tomorrow. She is walking with a walker now and is feeling better. We are thankful for each day we have with her. The doctor doesn't know how much longer we have with her, but we are hopeful that it is a few more months. I actually started a baby sweater over the weekend. It is for my great-nephew, Bruce, and I was hoping to give it to him for Christmas, but I'm not going to stress over getting it done by then. I will probably have more time during the kids Christmas break to get some knitting done.

We may not have all of Tom's family here for Christmas Eve after all. Some of us got together last Saturday night at a niece's house, so we may just go to church and have dinner with just the five of us. That sounds nice right now. Okay, I'm off to get some much needed sleep. Happy knitting!!

Funny thing to share.....
enjoy!

LIFE HAPPENS



Well, again I have no knitting news. Where do I begin to explain the craziness of the past few weeks? My mother-in-law has been in the hospital since Tuesday, Nov. 13. We didn't think she would live past the weekend. Well, she is doing better and will have to go to a nursing home. Her cancer that she has been fighting for the past 5 years is back and there is nothing they can do at this time. She has a nasty sore and infection that won't heal. Her kidneys were starting to shut down and she was bleeding into her bladder. They have stablized her and she may be able to go to the nursing home sometime this week.


We were going to go to Madison for Thanksgiving, but Tom's brother and his wife and son came up here instead. I found out Monday that I was hosting Thanksgiving dinner for possibly 13-17 people. We managed to get the house in order, an aero bed purchased and put together with a nice feather bed on top, grocery's bought and dinner made, and I survived to write about it. :) My sister-in-law has a drinking problem, and was drunk for the three days they were here. I confronted her Saturday morning when she woke up and told her she wasn't welcome in my house until she sobers up. I grew up with an alcoholic father and I don't have to put up with that in my house. She is going to kill herself if she doesn't stop drinking. She was on a liver transplant list two years ago, but stopped drinking for a while and her liver recovered a bit. She went into treatment for two weeks in May, but started drinking shortly after that. I told Tom's brother that I was going to confront her and he said that I should. He has tried to help her, and is now just taking care of himself and their son. I feel so bad for him. I let him know that he and their son are welcome here anytime, but she isn't. He said that he will be back in two weeks to see his mom and that he'll leave her at home.

I think that was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do, but I just had had enough. My daughter knew something was wrong and so I explained everything to her. The boys spent most of the time playing video games in the basement, so I don't think they even noticed. I found two coffee mugs hidden around my kitchen full of gin on Friday night. That was when I decided that she needed to be confronted. She had fallen down my stairs before we went out to dinner Friday night, and told me she meant to do that. I'm not stupid and I knew she was drunk, but I didn't see her actually getting the gin out of the cabinet. When I found the mugs full of gin, I told my brother-in-law and we had a long talk. He is so sad and loves her so much. He told me that he knows he should kick her out and get her an apartment, but he said that he can't live with the guilt if she drinks herself to death alone. It is a sad situation.
I hope she goes into a thirty day treatment center and then works to stay sober. I know that she has a disease, but only she can make the decision to get sober.

I will be hosting Christmas with my family on Dec. 22 and then Tom's family will be here for Christmas Eve. I will be taking more time away from my blog and knitting. I plan on being back here after Christmas. I don't know if I have any readers left, but I want you to know that I am still reading blogs (when I can) and hope you all have a wonderful Christmas season.

Happy knitting!!

Mini Vacation....

I went to Geneva, Illinois on Friday and got back last night. I went to visit my friend, Becky, who moved from Eau Claire to Geneva in August of 2006. It was great to see her and spend some time away from the kids. It was just what I needed. We shopped for accessories for my house and I came home with some great stuff. I stayed within my budget, and boy was that hard! I want to go back in the spring, so I knew that I needed to be good this time. She has three boys the same ages as my kids. They were so good while I was there.

Geneva is a beautiful city. The shops were unique and it was such a joy to get to shop in a different area. I hate to admit this, but we saw three yarn shops and I didn't go into any of them. I know, what a shock! I really have a lot of yarn, and this trip was meant to get stuff for my house.

I haven't knit at all in over a week. I'm not a very good knit blogger these days. Life just happens sometimes. The kids have had big projects to work on and that adds to my stress. The projects are now complete and maybe I can take a breath. We are having the hardwood floor in the dining room refininshed and filled in. The previous owners who built the house just put hardwood around the perimeter of the room and had carpet in the middle. We have decided to just finish the room and not have carpet in there. My dining room table is in the study, the hutch and piano are in my kitchen. The plan is to start the floor on Wednesday or Thursday. I am so glad we are able to get this done before Christmas.

Okay, I have rambled on enough. Sorry that I've been away for a month. I'll try to post at least once a week.

And the winner is.....

Sarah of knit7together. Send me your address and I'll get your yarn in the mail asap. Thanks to the people who commented. I can't believe I've been blogging for a year already. How fast the time flies.

I'm so sad the Packer's lost last night!! It was like they just forgot to play the other half of the game!!! Oh well, they have a lot more games to play and hopefully win. Tom and Patrick had fun going over to Green Bay with our neighbors, Tom and Gus. It was the first time for them to be at Lambeau Field and also Gus' first pro football game. They are Bears fans, but we still like them. :)

I went scrapbooking Friday night and all day on Saturday. I was able to catch up on my Christmas book and start one for Todd. Now my plan is to get pictures and stuff organized for Grant's book. I will be going on a retreat November 9-11, and that will enable me to get a lot done in his book. Maybe I'll even get "caught" up. If I just did a few pages a day it wouldn't be such a task, but I don't have any place to keep all the supplies out. I must get my old sewing room cleaned out and put together for a scrapbooking room.

I woke up yesterday with my left eye swollen almost shut. It was the weirdest thing. It's not red or yucky, so I don't think I have pink-eye, but I went to the doctor just in case. She wasn't sure, but is treating me for pink-eye. I have drops to put in 4 times a day. She also wanted me to take Claritin for a week to see if that helps. This is so strange. My puffy lower eye is touching my glasses!! Okay, I'm off to turn the heel on a sock. Happy knitting!!

How's this for distraction?......Cute puppy and a contest!


I have to apologize for the lack of knitting content on this "knitting" blog. I'm not sure what happened to my knitting mojo, but it is just not present at the time. I'm still working on the felted slippers and that's it. I may start a sock today since it is October and time for Socktoberfest. Here is a picture of my cute/naughty puppy! I just love this dog. He will be one on October 26 which also happens to be my husband's birthday too. He loves to find Patrick's shoes!! Now, if the shoes were put in their correct spot this would be a difficult task, but since they are usually just left by the back door, it's not too much of a problem. Just as long as someone catches him before the shoes get eaten!!

On Thursday, Oct. 4 it will be my one year blogiversary!! So I am having a contest. All you have to do is comment and tell me a cute pet story. Pretty simple. As you can tell, I love my pets a lot and have many funny stories I can tell about them. Please share some with me. I will give one commenter a skein of Dream in Color Smooshy yarn in the Nightwatch colorway. I can't seem to locate my camera ( think a child "borrowed" it), but I'll put one up asap. Comments will be taken until Sunday, Oct. 7. I'll just put the numbers in a hat and have a kid pick a number. Thanks!!

Just a quick post..

I really don't have much to say today, but since it has been a week since my last post I thought I'd add a little one today. School is going well for the kids so far. Maggie is having fun playing volleyball for South Middle School. Grant had a good time at the Homecoming dance last week. Patrick is having fun seeing his friends everyday at school, the learning part of his day is not his priority, but he is doing fine. I got one of Tom's felted clog slippers done and am working on the second. Patrick saw the first one and said, "Mom, I think that is a bit big for dad!" After I explained the felting process, it made more sense to him. Okay, that's all. Sorry, this hasn't been the most exciting blog lately, but that's my life right now. Happy knitting!

MHS Homecoming.....

I just dropped Grant off at his first high school dance. Doesn't he look handsome? Okay, I know I'm his mom, but still....I think he looks great. This was weird for me! The first of many new and exciting experiences with a high school child. I hope he has a good time. He asked a girl to go, but she already had a date. Some of his friends are going with dates, and others are just meeting him there.

I had a nasty cold earlier this week, so I was in bed for two days. I'm feeling a lot better now. I purchased some yummy yarn this week...ready...it is qiviut. It is red and so very soft. I'm going to make a lacy scarf for myself. It was just the right thing after the crazy few weeks I've had.

Today I started some felted clog slippers for Tom. He went to the UW Badger game in Madison with some friends and then they are going to the Packer game in Green Bay tomorrow. I hope to finish them before he gets home tomorrow night. I went to the apple orchard today and I'm going to make apple bars with some of the apples I got. The weather today was just beautiful. I love fall. Also, Desperate Housewives begins tomorrow!! I'm so excited for all my shows to start up again. I'll be watching Grey's on Thursday night.

I forgot to mention that I got my Ravelry invite. I'm having fun exploring. It is a lot to take in. I'm Packerfan in there, so come find me sometime. Well, I'm going to go watch a movie and work on the slippers. Happy knitting!!

Back to the doctor......

This time with the boys. They both have strep throat!!! Ugh! It's only the second week of school!! Help me!! They were complaining last night of sore throats and I told them to see how they felt this morning before deciding if they should go to school or not. Well, they both woke up and said that their throats hurt quite a bit. I kept them home from school and we went to the doctor this afternoon and now they are both on Amoxicillin. Patrick seems to be doing better than Grant. Grant has been whining all day long. I'm sorry he is sick, but oh my goodness. I don't need to hear the whining for hours and hours. It's not like he is two or three years old!! Yikes!

I have no knitting news at all:( I'm not quite sure where this week has gone, but I haven't done much knitting at all. Hopefully tomorrow the boys will be better and won't need quite so much attention and I can get some knitting time in. I will not be going back to school now or in the future. Tom really doesn't want me to. My job is taking care of the family and that's just the way it is. The time from now and when Patrick graduates from High school will just fly by. I will have to see how I feel in eight years, whether I want to pursue a new career or not.

I hope the sun shines tomorrow, I really don't like cloudy days. I'm going to get into bed and snuggle with the dogs. Happy knitting!

Interesting news......

One of Maggie's friends is in the hospital with cryptosporidium. She has lost 10 pounds and is very dehydrated. She is in the same hospital that we first went to last Monday. The hospital called us tonight to tell us about this friend and also to say they knew Maggie had some of the same symptoms. Well, let me tell you, I was not very nice and told the woman who called that we were sent home with instructions to take Advil and Imodium. She told me that she wanted us to get a stool culture done. I then told her that we went to Luther Hospital and had better care and the first thing they did was to order the culture. Maggie's tests came back negative, but I called my doctor right after I got off the phone with Sacred Heart, and she told me that sometimes you can get false negatives. It would explain all of Maggie's symptoms and she felt that if they would have listened to me and taken the stool sample right away it may have been positive and, we may have saved a lot of time and money without doing the stupid ultrasound. The doctor can't say for sure that Maggie has/had cryptosporidium or not, but it seems likely. The girls were at the same pool party a week ago on Wednesday. Maggie did a great job of trying to drink a lot of water and Gatorade. That's what saved her from becoming severely dehydrated. So far Maggie hasn't had any diarrhea for 24 hours, so we may be on the up side of all of this. Maggie ate some cereal tonight, so we'll see how that goes. She has lost 5 pounds in the last week. She looks much better today and is happier. I hope she continues to be able to eat more foods and get stronger. She is anxious to get back to school and a normal routine.

One word of advice, if you choose to take it, if you aren't satisfied with a doctor or hospital, don't feel bad about seeking another opinion. I know that people are human and make mistakes, but when it comes to the health of my kids, I have learned to question things. Okay, I'll get off my soap box.

Tom and Grant had fun at the Packer game, but they left before the end of it!! I couldn't believe it when they called me and asked me to DVR the end of the game. Tom's brother wanted to leave so they did. Crazy! I wouldn't have left and Tom said he won't do to that again! I love it when my team wins. I have to admit, it was a boring game though. I wore my socks and they kept my feet nice and warm. I love this crisp fall weather. Well, I'm off to spend some time with my Chevron scarf and watch football with Tom. Happy knitting!!

What a difference a good night's sleep makes. I'm feeling less overwhelmed today. I know that the doctor's will figure out what is wrong with Maggie and she will start to feel better soon.
This first picture is of the boy's clothes that were laid out in the bathroom the other night. They have been trying to get prepared the night before school, so the mornings go a bit smoother for us all. I saw the post-it note on Grant's clothes and it touched me so much I just had to take pictures.

This is what Patrick had written for his big brother....
I thought that was so sweet. They fight like cats and dogs, and then it find something like this. After I took the picture, I went upstairs to bed and they were sleeping in Grant's bed. Crazy! If I made them share a room they would hate it. I'm glad for the good moments, it helps get through the rough ones.
This picture was taken on Wednesday, Patrick's first day of school. I'm happy to report that Grant is feeling much better about high school and enjoys the freedom of going off campus for lunch. I'm sure that when the snow starts to fly and the temperature drops it won't be as much fun, but for now if this helps him get through his day, then I'm fine with it.
Finally, my Packer socks/anklets. They are done just in time for the first game tomorrow. Tom and Grant will be going to GB for the game. I will be home with the other two. Maggie was suppose to start her fall softball season tomorrow, but under the circumstances she won't be. I'm hoping that she will be able to go to school on Monday for at least part of the day.

I requested her homework yesterday, and when I stopped in after school, there wasn't any! How can that be? She has missed the first week of school. I know her friends have had work, because I've talked to some parents. I'm a bit upset about them not getting me her work. I don't want her to get farther behind than she already is. She wants to get caught up too. I just don't understand when you have a parent and student willing to try to keep up and contact the school, why the teacher's couldn't follow through. Please don't send me any comments on how hard teacher's work. I know that, I used to be a teacher. My only thing is, is that if they have assigned homework for the whole class, how hard would it be to let the counselor's office know what those assignments were?

Well, I'm going to relax today and knit. The weather is beautiful, so I may even sit outside. (If the mosquitoes don't get me) Have a great weekend! Happy knitting!

Well, Maggie went to school yesterday for a few hours then came home to rest. She had another CT scan today, and we haven't heard anything. They took lots of blood to test yesterday, and we have some results that were normal, but no answers to explain her pain or bowel distress. I'm frustrated and worried about her. Today after the CT scan I had her come home and try to eat something. She had an English muffin and so far she is doing okay. She took a long nap and the pain is better. The doctor may want us to go to Mayo Clinic in Rochester to see a pediatric GI specialist. I'm waiting to hear from the clinic. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

My Packer socks are finished, but I haven't taken the time to take a picture. I'm currently working on finishing up my crocheted sweater and have been working on a Chevron Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. I may post again later tonight or tomorrow. I just need to go take a nap and recharge. Happy knitting.

Emergency Room Knitting....

Last night Maggie and I spent six hours in the ER. She has been having stomach issues since Saturday. After my post yesterday, she told me that her right side hurt more than anything in her life. We went to the ER where they proceeded to do an ultrasound to check for a cyst on her ovary. That was negative, so they had her drink this large glass of something so they could do a CAT scan. Her appendix looked okay, so they sent us home with instructions for taking Ibuprophin for pain. Well, this morning she woke up with the dry heaves and much more pain. I called another dr. who told us to go back to the ER. This time we chose another hospital in town, and I was very pleased. They gave her an IV with pain medication and something for her nausea. They ordered the tests from the other hospital, checked them out, and told us they did not think it was a burst cyst, but a nasty GI disorder. They are doing a culture for some parasites, and I would list them here, but my mind isn't working the best after only four hours of sleep. Maggie is taking Vicodin for the pain and some other thing for the nausea and seems to be resting comfortably now. It was awful seeing her in that much pain. She told me that she is going to adopt a child from Jamaica, because she can't imagine being in pain for many hours during labor. Isn't that cute? I bet she will change her mind in about 15 years.

My day of sipping tea and relaxing didn't happen. Oh well, that's life. I did get a lot of knitting done, but haven't taken pictures yet. Grant hated school today. He couldn't find the right bus after school, so walked to his dad's office. I didn't know he was going to do that, and freaked out when he didn't get off the bus. A friend called me to tell me she saw him walking down a street near the high school. I got in the car and drove around looking for him. I didn't see him, so I went to Tom's office and there he was. I was relieved and mad at the same time. He said to me,"I just remembered that I should have called you!" He was in tears tonight because he said that none of his friends from middle school are in his classes, and he doesn't know anyone. I tried to assure him that a lot of the freshman are feeling much the same way, but that didn't help. I agreed to pick him up tomorrow and figure out something about the bus situation in a few days. I know that he has a difficult time making friends, but I can't change his classes. He is in classes that are appropriate for his level, and that is just the way it is. We'll just have to take it one day at a time. Okay, I need to get some sleep. Hopefully I will have pictures tomorrow. Happy knitting.

Reflection.....


Most people reflect on the year at the beginning, in January. Well, I found myself doing this today. Last Labor Day I was in a lot of pain due to my back and I remember spending time reading knitting blogs. It was a wonderful way to spend my day. I was excited for the kids to start school, but was a bit sad because I knew I would miss them. Today, I read some blogs, worked on cleaning up my desk, did some paper crafting, listened to podcasts, knit, and did some laundry. I am not sad about the kids starting school. I really need a break from the fighting and constant mess in the kitchen. My back isn't really any better, I'm just getting used to the discomfort. I stopped working out regularly about a year ago because of my back issues, and now find myself heavier than I'd like to be. I love to eat and don't always want to make the best choices. Well, it is time to get serious again. I must start to write down everything I eat and exercise. With the start of a new school year I don't have the excuse of being home with the kids.

I find myself in awe that I have one of my kid's starting High School. I hope he has a good time during his years at Memorial. Can it really be 20+ years since I walked into my high school as a freshman? What a day that was. I know that I'll blink and the next four years will be history and he'll be going to college.

Maggie is excited about 8th grade(well the social part anyway). She will be playing fall softball as well as volleyball. I think that 8th grade was one of my favorites of all my years in school. She is growing up so fast and is becoming a beautiful young woman.

Patrick is entering his last year of elementary school. It seems like yesterday when I was taking him to kindergarten. I remember on the way to school him asking me, "Mom, who will you have tea with now?" It was so bittersweet. I find myself looking forward to a peaceful cup of tea on Wednesday morning when they are all in school.

The Packer socks are almost done, so I may have a picture on Wednesday. I forgot to mention in my post about the Fair, that Shelly gave me two skeins of her dyed yarn. They are beautiful! Thanks, Shelly. Well, I'm off to have dinner with my family and work on the socks. Happy knitting!

Minnesota State Fair
This is Shelly and me in the Miracle of Life Building. We actually were there moments after a ewe had given birth to triplets. Amazing.

It was wonderful getting to meet Shelly and her family in person. She is a very sweet and kind woman and I am so glad we were able to work out a time to connect. When we went to the building to see the knitting I was blown away by the blue ribbon winners. The fair isle sweater that I saw was beautiful. The crocheted baby sweater was beautiful as well. We have some very talented knitters in our midst.

Shelly and I had some yummy fair food and that's all I will say about that. :) It would be fun if this could be an annual event. I'm thankful that her hubby was able to leave work a bit earlier than usual and was willing to care for Julie and Sophie for the evening. By the way, the girls are so darn cute. If you read Shelly's blog, then you have seen their pictures. Believe me they are even cuter in person. Thanks, Shelly, for the wonderful time.

Tonight we are going to one of the neighbor's houses for cocktails to jump start the holiday weekend. I don't think we have anything else planned, so I am looking forward to getting some quality knitting time in. Hopefully Tom will take the boys to do something fun for the afternoon tomorrow or Sunday. They have been a challenge this week. In my opinion, summer has been two weeks too long. I see no reason why they can't start school before Labor day. When I taught in Albuquerque, we started around the second week of August and were done the end of May. It seemed to work out just fine. Okay, rant over.

I hope you all have a great long weekend and happy knitting!

Where has the time gone? It has been awhile since my last post. I didn't finish my sweater in time for the class reunion, but that's okay. I just have the sleeves to do. I got a bit mixed up and couldn't figure out how to finish the sleeves and didn't have time to run down to YDK
to get help. Cindi is on vacation this week, so I'll catch up with her next week and finish it.

I get to meet Shelly aka The Heathen Housewife.
I am going to the Minnesota State Fair with her on Wednesday. I can't wait to see her in person. We talked on the phone tonight and she is wonderful. It will be nice to check out the wonderful knitted items that have been entered at the Fair. We plan on eating our way through the evening. I will get to meet her beautiful girls too. I can't wait.

The class reunion was so much fun. I got to see many of my old friends and we had a blast recalling the crazy things we all did together in high school. I think that in these past five years, some of the guys changed the most. There were some there that I had to ask if they were spouses or classmates. It was weird. I saw one of my dearest guy friends whom I hadn't seen in 10 years. I got all teary eyed when I hugged him. We had some great times during high school as well as college. I'm glad I went. I was hesitant to go because I wanted to be thinner, but it didn't matter once I got there and saw everyone. We all have changed, it is to be expected after 25 years right?

Maggie and I went to the Nanny Diaries tonight. It was pretty good. I have decided that when a book is turned into a movie, I shouldn't expect too much. I really liked the book better, but we still enjoyed it. Okay, so off to bed for me. I'll post pictures tomorrow of the Packer sock and my class reunion. Happy knitting.

I survived!!

The birthday party is over. The rain just kept going all day but the girls did end up going swimming and they all seemed to enjoy themselves. Thank goodness for heated pools. Some of them decided to have a food fight in the basement. I was not happy at all about that. Maggie and two of her friend's picked it up and all is okay now. I didn't expect that from 13 year old girls. The tie-dyeing went very well and my kitchen survived.(we couldn't go outside because of the rain.) It is a lot to do with 23 kids but it was fun and they were all happy when they went home. Maggie decided it is easier to go to parties than host them. I'm glad, so I'm off the hook for anymore parties. Next year a few friends and that's it.

I'm exhausted so I am going to bed.