Doing Something Right?

As a parent, as I'm sure with other parents, I occasionally wonder if Ed and I are doing the right thing. This happens most with our oldest since every new experience for her is a new experience for us. She has started high school now and she thinks she should be afforded a certain amount of freedom. We let her hang out with her friends as long as homework isn't due or family activities are scheduled. I do wonder, though, if we let her go too often with her friends. This particular group of girls is very social and feel they must have sleepovers every weekend.

If I had to classify us, we are not overly strict parents, but we do try to make every attempt to let her and her brother and sister know what the boundaries are and what the consequences will be if the boundaries are crossed. We also insist that the kids check in with us regularly when they are away and we let them know that we double check also. We know that we can't shield her from temptation, but we hope and pray that she is mature enough to make the right choices when temptation arises.

Last week there was an incident that tempted our oldest daughter. During a sleep over with 5 other girls, a plan was made to call a boy 2 years older who drove to pick them up at 3:00 am. After getting picked up they cruised around and hooked up with an 18 year old boy. At 3:30, the local police pulled them over. All of the parents were called to pick the girls up at the site of the pullover. Fortunately, we were not called because our daughter chose not to go along. She was the only one who stayed back at the house. The host girl's father found her asleep in the daughter's bed after the police called him. The mother called me the following morning to tell me what happened. She said our daughter was still asleep and that she'd take her home after she got up. Later when I talked to her, I asked 'Why didn't you go with your friends?' Her reply was 'I knew I shouldn't.' I then told her how happy and proud her dad and I were for her.

I guess we are doing something right. It is awful darn hard, but it must be right.

Here It Is

Here's a few photos of the finished blanket. This first one isn't a good representation of the colors. I took this without the flash. It does show the details, however.



This on was taken with the flash. The colors in this photo are a bit more electric than the actual blanket, but it's close.


Here is Dash giving it a test run. Obviously this was taken before I washed it. Don't want to give the new little guy some stinky kids germs.

Ready for the Meeting with Parker

I finished the blanket on Sunday and promptly gave it a gentle wash and dry. It turned out wonderfully, if I say so myself. I took pictures, which I will post tonight or tomorrow. In two days the blanket will be given to the little guy. My niece and her husband are taking the baby to my parents' house to have Parker meet his great-grandparents. Most of my siblings will be stopping over to say 'Hello' also. We are all very excited!!!

Now it is on to the next project. I'm working on the February Ladies Sweater, using some old yarn I've had from a previously frogged project. It is Lion Brand Wool-Ease in the Black Glitter colorway. I bought this yarn as part of a kit from Lion Brand to make a cardigan. The model in the LB catalogue showed it made in a plain brown Wool-Ease and took x skeins for my size. I liked the Black Glitter and ordered the pattern and x skeins. Since I'm a slow knitter, it took a while for me to realize that the Glitter skeins had less yardage than the plain Wool-Ease skeins (the customer rep who sold me the 'kit' failed to mention/notice also) and I wasn't going to have have enough to finish. So the project got abandoned and put into a basket, where it has sat for probably 6 years. When I decided to make the FLS, I wanted to use something out of the stash and so I grabbed this. I'm about 4 inches into the yoke. Photos of this will come also.

Quick Update

I'm sewing up Parker's blanket. I have the two halves sewn. One big piece connected to one small piece. I got that far last night, along with some cleaning up of yarn ends, while watching Monster Quest with Dash. I have a lot of work to do tonight. If I can get it done, I'll start sewing up the center seam. Then comes the binding!!! Almost the home stretch.