Happy Holidays!!

November passed as a blur, mostly spent at work.  There were a few events at home that warrented my attention, but for the most part I got the Readers Digest version from someone as I passed from the door to my bed or back the other way.  The chaotic work schedule continues, but I've managed to get time off thanks to some very helpful consultants.  Earlier this month I went to New Jersey with my sister Karen to visit our oldest sister, Mary Anne.  We had a great time, including going into New York City for a day.  Now I'm off work until next Tuesday.  My plans are to get some cleaning done around the house and knit.Yesterday the kids and I cleaned the basement.  Today's plans are to organize my sewing area.

I've worked on a couple knitting projects, but unfortunately I don't have pictures of the final products. Both projects were tag-team projects with my friend Cindy and were gifts.  The first was a stole we gave to a friend that is battling breast cancer.  The other was a shawl we gave to a consultant that has worked with us for nearly 2 years and signed off the project in December. 

Here's the next project I want to finish. It's my Go Live Minimalist Cardigan.  I'm still working on the back.  There are a lot of football games coming up so I hope to make good progress.

At Least the Kids are Having Fun

The tranquility I wrote about in the last post didn't last. This past week has been extremely stressful.  Just when I think things will settle down, something else seems to hit.

Work is still crazy.  I continue to work 7 days a week.  Not just short days either.  I'm usually at work from about 730 am until at least 6 pm through the week.  Yesterday was 8 am to 430 pm.  I know I'll have to work some today, but I'm hoping it will be from home.  It would be nice to see my family for more than just a few minutes in the morning and an hour or so in the evening.  Not sure how much longer I can keep up this schedule.  Home life is being impacted.  Thankfully my kids are old enough to manage most things on their own. 

Since this is Halloween weekend, the students' theme for the football game was to come in costume.  Here are the girls in their costumes:

We dug out these from the closet.  The girls don't remember being ladybugs years ago.  They were pretty darn cute back then like they are now. 

Unfortunately, I wasn't home when the girls got ready for the football game.  Of course, I was at work.  Here is a picture of them with friends before they headed out.

The football game was the last of the regular season.  The team won and is now heading off to the playoffs.  Kristin's boyfriend was the top scorer on the team with at least 2 touchdowns each game.  He's not very big, but he is fast and strong.  He can wrestle his way out of tackles to gain extra yardage.  Here is Kristin and Alex after the game. 

 I hope the team continues to do well.  High school football has been the highlight of my week this fall.

Happiness and Joy

Have I mentioned that I absolutely love Saturday mornings?  The work week is over.  I get to catch up on some sleep.  The house is quiet as the kids sleep in late.  I get to cook something extra special for breakfast.  As I drink tea, I catch up with all of my knitting posts/blogs.  Because of the hectic work schedule I"ve had for the past few months, I haven't had a quiet Saturday morning in a while, so I am savoring this one.

To start off, I made this:  pumpkin bread.  It has been almost a year since I've tasted anything pumpkin.  Last year there was some sort of disease that ruined the entire pumpkin crop and the stores ceased to carry canned pumpkin.  About two weeks ago, I saw a few cans on the shelf at the grocery store.  I snagged them up like a person preparing for the end of civilization.  This morning, one of the cans became bread.  YUMMY!  There are two other loaves that are going into the freezer for later consumption.

Cindy and I are still working on the Tag Team Wrap.  It's one of those projects that you just keep plugging away at until you feel like saying 'Stop'.  I would estimate that we are just past the halfway point.  I have custody of the project this weekend.  I plan to work on it all afternoon during the Ohio State football game.  Here's where we are with it.

I know I suffer desparately from Startitis.  I did it again by getting yarn to make a Minimalist Cardigan.  My rationale was to have something to work on while Cindy has the Warp and while there is down time at work during the recent 'Go Live' weekends.  I really should have picked up one of the projects I already have on the needles.  Startitis is hard to resist.  The lure of new fiber.  The unknown of a new pattern.  It was too much for me to resist.  I'm a weak person. ( BTW, the spot in the center of the photo isn't really on the sweater.  There must be a spot on the camera lens.)

Tonight is the Homecoming Dance for the girls.  Kristin has a new boyfriend, who she will be going with.  Trisha is going with a very large group of friends.  Before the dance, I will be going with Kristin to her boyfriend's house to help serve dinner.  Alex's mom is making dinner for Kristin, Alex and some of their friends.  I'll post pictures tomorrow.

Long Overdue

To put it simply, I've been busy.  Work has been the biggest consumer of my time, and keeping up with the family is filling in the remaining hours that I'm awake.  The HUGE 2-year project that I've been working on is coming to its climax.  The official 'Go Live' weekend is this weekend.  To be honest, though, there are 3 'Go Live' weekends for my team.  Our first was two weekends ago.  That was absolutely grueling.  This weekend is #2 and then #3 comes on the weekend of October 23.  Having survived the first one, this one coming up doesn't really scare me.  The other teams will be the ones dealing with most of the anxiety and issues.  I'm concidering it more of a 'making an appearance' weekend.   For my team, the next big milestone will be the first time we process the company's timecards and then try to bill our customers.   Until then, I'm not going to be around much.

I also have a couple long overdue pictures to post.  This is the baby blanket I made earlier this year for a friend.   I gave it away without photoing it.  Colleen gave me these to share.  Enjoy!



Thank You Delynne!!!!

The Thank You Monkey Socks are done.   I didn't get them finished as quickly as I had hoped.  Too much interference from work.  But they are now done and on their way to Delynne.  I hope she enjoys them and knows how much I appreciate the sacrefices she made.  Even though Dean is her brother, her selflessness isn't diminished. 

The yarn was Footnotes from Fiber Optic.  It was fantastic to work with.  The color in the above photo is a little washed out.  The brown is a rich, woody brown.  This was my first pair of Monkey socks.  I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly the pattern works up.  I think I'll make a couple more pairs of socks for my girls as Christmas presents.

I have another project in the works.  It is a tag-team effort with my friend Cindy.  She and I have another friend who just found out she has breast cancer.  Cindy and I are making a wrap for her.  It will lightweight so that it can be carried along to treatments.  This yarn is a laceweight merino/silk blend which should help take the chill off if needed.  Cindy found the pattern, but I can't remember the name.  It is a simple knit one, knit one below on an odd number of stitches.  When it is blocked it will have a matrix of hexagons throughout.  I have custody this weekend.  Cindy is travelling next week so she will get it to work on during her long flights to/from the west coast.

Gotta Get My Monkey On

Since my last post 3 WEEKS AGO, I have finished the first Thank You Monkey sock and got to the gusset of sock #2.  I really, really, really want to get these done this weekend, but not sure how to do that.  You see, Ed is out of town until Tuesday evening, Kristin has a volleyball match today, I have a very dusty house that needs my attention, and I have to work all day tomorrow.   Maybe the dust can wait.  Heck, it's been here longer than the sock.  It can hang around a little longer.

My friend with leukemia is doing well.  He is still showing no sign of disease.  His strength is slowly returning.  The doctor has given him the OK to drive if he feels up to it.  That has been a HUGE relief for his wife.  Since she doesn't have to escort him to his daily outpatient treatments, she has 3-5 hours of each day back. 

On a sad note, one of my friends from work found out she has breast cancer.  Her lumpectomy is next week.  Another friend and I are going to make her a shawl to carry around with her.  Seeing how cold Dean always was in the hospital, I thought something like that would be useful for our friend.  Since the second friend and I share a cubicle, we are going to tag-team.  We'll leave the shawl on the counter between us and whenever we have a couple minutes for a break, we'll pick it up and work it.

As I mentioned above, Ed is away.  He and his brother are in Penticton, British Columbia for Ironman Canada.  The race it tomorrow.  Physically he is ready.  As usual, he is getting nervous and anxious for the race to start.  I worry most about the swim portion of the race.  Once I know he is safely out of the water, my anxiety level drops significantly.

Monkey Business

Not getting as much time as I had hoped to work on the Monkey socks, but I'm coming to the home stretch of the first one.  Here's my progress as of last night.

I am finding this pattern very fun to knit.  I understand now why it is so popular.

I'm working these on size 3 needles, which is one up from the size suggested in the pattern.  I was worried they be too big, but I slipped them on and they felt wonderful.  The recipient wears US size 9 shoes and I wear size 7, so I'm sure they won't be too loose on her.

Did I mention who the recipient is?  It is the lady who saved my friend's life by donating her bone marrow stem cells.  DeLynne is Dean's sister and she was doing what any sibling would do for another member of the family.  But that fact does not diminish the risks she took.  Without her Dean's chances were bleak.  Now, her blood has taken over his body and he is slowing gaining strength. 

Now, it is a beautiful Saturday and I'm not going to waste any more time on this blog.  Enjoy your day!!!

My friend who has been battling leukemia finally got to go home from the hospital.  His release on Tuesday ended a 122 day stay.  June and July were very rough.  After his stem cell transplant at the beginning of June, he developed a host of complications.  Every time he seemed to make an improvement, something would happen to backtrack his progress.  Nothing was simple for him.  Even a common side effect turned into a major complication.  Mid-July he was placed in ICU because of liver, stomach, and kidney failure.  After several days of dialysis, things started to turn around for him.  But through all of the struggle, evidence that the transplant worked mounted.  He is now finally home and trying to regain his strength.  Prior to his hospital stay he was exercising every day and playing racquetball 3 days a week.  Now, walking up one flight of stairs takes his breath away.  I'm confident he'll rapidly regain his strength now that he is home disconnected from all the IV lines and sleeping in his own bed.

The donor for my friend's stem cell transplant was his sister.  She accepted a lot of risk for her brother and will forever be a part of him.  Her blood literally runs through his veins now.  Everyone who has helped with tangible and intangible support has been asked to thank her in some way, even as simply as a 'Thank You' note.  I'm making her a pair of monkey socks out of some of the yummy yarn I got from Fiber Optic during Knitters Connection. I'm not as far along on these as I had hoped to be.  Tonight will be movie night at home, so I'll make progress then.

Last weekend I went on a roadtrip with one of my sisters, a sister-in-law, and two nieces to Myrtle Beach.  Here is a view of the resort from the beach.  The building we stayed in was behind these buildings and not visible in this picture.

We only actually hung out on the beach one day.  The resort had several very nice pools and we decided that it was more fun being there. I've come to the conclusion that sand and surf are not as much fun if there aren't kids to play with.

Several recent events in my life have taught me some things.  First, don't hesitate to show your love and appreciation.  You never know how long you will get the opportunity.  Second, prayer works.  It may not seem like it for a while, but God has a plan and if you open yourself up to it, things work out.  The ending may not be what you hoped for, but in the end you get what you need.  Third, don't dwell on negatives from your past.  Always look forward with hope instead of backwards with anger.  Fourth, strive to repair damaged relationships.  Life is constantly evolving and we need to continually try to make it the best it can be for ourselves and those around us.  Sometimes someone just needs you to reach out to them.  And finally, know when it is time to let go, whether it is a person or an object or an emotion.  Children grow into adults.  Anger and frustration are not productive and will fester if held inside.

Here is one of my favorite Bible quotes:

The LORD bless you and keep you!

The LORD let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you!

The LORD look upon you kindly and give you peace!

- Numbers 6:24-26

Sock Landscape

The sock I started during the Cookie A class at Knitters Connection is slowly progressing.  I turned the heel last night and am working on the gusset.  I love how it is turning out.  There is only one thing I'm nto too happy about.  I didn't divide for the heel at the best spot and unfortunately didn't realize my mistake until I was almost finished with the heel flap.  Instead of ripping back, I chalked it up to a rookie designer mistake and moved on.  Now I have to decide if I'll replicate the mistake in the other sock or try to do it right.

I just love the color of this yarn.  These photos don't really show how rich the blue is.  I can't wait to get them on my feet.

Tennessee Vacation

We just spent the past 5 days in Tennessee with my sister Nancy and her family. It was a great long weekend. Here's a few photos from the trip.

 

The Results of My Weekend

Here is the sock I started in Cookie A's Sock Innovation class at Knitter's Connection.  The yarn is from Fiber Optic in Sapphire.  It is a superwash merino/nylon blend.  The colors are absolutely gorgeous and it is a dream to knit with.  I can't wait to get these done.  I just hope the socks fit right.

Here are the skeins  I made this weekend during my first attempt at spinning.  The cream is about 50 yards of sport-worsted weight.  The multi is about 70 years of mostly fingering weight.  Not sure what I'm going to make from them yet.  I'd like to make a cowl from the multi, but not sure if I have enough.

Round and Round He Goes

Patty came into to town to go to Knitter's Connection with me.  We took Cookie A's Sock Innovation class.  It was fantastic!!  She brought a lot of the sock's that are included in her book.  They are even more fabulous in person.  I have my sock on the needles.  I'll post a picture when I have a few more repeats of the pattern done.

Another highlight of Knitters Connection was discovering Fiber Optic.  These ladies make absolutely beautiful yarn.  The yarn I'm using for the Cookie A socks are from their booth.  I also bought two other skeins.  Yummy!  Yummy!

Friday night and Saturday were spent learning to spin.  Patty brought her wheel and a bag for of wool.  Some of the wool was left its natural color and others were dyed with left-over Easter egg dyes.  Those color were fun to play with.  Below is a picture of Blake getting a lesson from his Aunt Patty.  He chose orange and blue for his first spin.

I spun the natural on Friday night and took up the multi-colored fun after Blake gave up.   I found myself getting so focused on what my hands were doing I would forget about my feet and I'd start pedaling too fast. 

Here is the natural after it took a bath this morning.

Here is the multi-colored after its bath.

Now I need to figure out what to do with them.  I think a little cowl of some sort might just be in order.

No Time to Waste

It's strawberry season in central Ohio.  Actually, it is coming to a close soon.  Last year I made freezer jam, which Blake loved.  He requested more after consuming my entire batch.  This morning I went up to a local pick-your-own farm and brought home 4 quarts.  I made freezer jam with half.  The remaining strawberries are going to become a pie.  My mom gave me her strawberry pie recipe.  It is a family favorite.  Unlike some recipes, it does not use gelatin.   I'll have to think of a good meal to go with that special dessert.

I'm back to making progress on the Taize shawl. It goes to work with me everyday. About 3 days a week I'm able to get a few rows in over lunch. It is approaching the 1/3 done mark. I'd like to get this done by the fall and then keep it at the office. It will be nice to wrap myself in, especially later this year when the project I'm working one reaches its deadline. The move-to-production date is October 1. That weekend will be a long, exhausting one. I don't anticipate being home much between September 13 to mid-November. Having this shawl with me will help.

  

Of course I can't just work on one project.  I'm also trying to make progress on Decimal.  I've finished the body up to the armholes.  I'm now working on the left sleeve.  This is my 'sitting in front of the television' project.  Below are a couple photos of it.  The color in the first photo is closest to reality.  The second photo is a close-up of the sleeve.

Next Thursday my sister Patty is coming into town.  We will be attending Knitters Connection.  We are taking a class from Cookie A on Friday.  I can't wait.  Also, Patty is going to bring her spinning wheel and some roving. She is going to attempt to teach me how to spin.  We'll see how that goes.

One for the History Books

The school year has come to a close.  All three kids achieve outstanding grades and created lasting memories.  I am so proud of all three for what they accomplished this year.  Here is a blurry picture of Trisha as she leaves middle school for the last time as an 8th grader.  I can't believe she is going to be in high school!!

Unfortunately the kids have had to learn some very hard life lessons.  About 2 weeks ago, one of the star football players from the high school drowned.  Kristin knew him pretty well since he briefly dated one of her friends, was in the class ahead of hers, and was friends with the guy that took her to prom.  His death brought back all the pain and sorrow from the tragic death of another friend back in December.  Then, two nights before school was to let out for the summer, Trisha learned that one of her classmates had taken his own life.  That tragedy has left me stunned.  Trisha and I have talked.  She's asked 'Why?' and I've told her that there will never be a way to understand what all was going through his head to make him feel that that was the only solution.  The accidental deaths are no less tragic, but they are easier to understand 'Why'.  All we can do is pray for them and their families.  And hug and kiss our own kids as often as we can.

The summer is already packed with activities.  Blake and Trisha have camps to head off to.  Kristin has volleyball conditioning and a 3-day-a-week babysitting job.  I have Knitters Connection and a girls' weekend away. Ed has his 6th Ironman Triathlon.  Together we have a week at the beach.  We may not be able to fit in a trip to Tennessee this year.  The kids are going to be disappointed about that, but I'm not sure when we'd be able to fit it in.

On the knitting front, I finished the baby blanket for my friend, but forgot to take a photo of it before gifting it.  I'll see if I can get my friend to forward a picture to post.  I'm now trying to get Decimal finished.  I have another summer sweater waiting in the queue, but have vowed not to start it until Decimal is off the needles.

Time to Relax

Whether your weekend is 2 days or 3, take time to relax with a little treat and a nice drink.  This is mine at tea time.

May Flowers and Other Happenings

Hello.  Yes.  It's been awhile.  Not much.  How 'bout you?

In the spirit of my oldest daughter's usual way of posting on Facebook, I thought I'd start with a song.  The lyrics are not quite accurate though.  It has been busy around here.

Spring is in full force.  I'm determined to make the front bed of the house look at bit more respectable.  I think I'm off to a good start.   The front bed is divided into three sections.  Along the garage I put holly bushes and daylilies.

Under the dining room window, I put digitalis and hostas.

The planters on the front porch have gerber daisies and pansies.

Now I have to tackle the front section.  This will involve pulling out a lot of perenials that never grew as I had envisioned them, relocating some daylilies, planting a couple more hostas, and spreading mulch.  Pictures will come later. 

Earlier this month, Kristin was invited to prom.  I think she and her date made a very lovely couple.  What do you think?  They went as friends.  I'm told they aren't dating.  I'm not totally convinced the feelings are platonic. 

Friday was Trisha's Confirmation.  My sister Karen stood in as her sponsor.  After the ceremony we all went out to dinner at Buca de Beppo. 

I'm biased, but I think I have the most wonderful children.

Here are Ed, Trisha, and me.

Hi! I'm Still Here

I can't believe I've been away for over a month.  It has been a very busy month, though.  Here's a re-cap.

We went to Orlando for Spring Break.  This trip was all about relaxing, so we avoided all of the parks.  Most of our time was spent here

or here

doing this

It was a great week.  I caught myself starting to think about work once, but I smacked myself and never did it again.

Before we left, my daffodils were starting to bud.  I was worried that I would miss their bloom.  A final blast of cold weather in Ohio kept them from blooming and shortly after we came home they opened.  It was a nice 'Welcome Home'.  Last year the daffodils didn't bloom at all.  This year they were gorgeous.

Unfortunately, there was some bad news after we got home.  A very good friend has been diagnosed with acute leukemia.  He went to the doctor because he had a nagging cough all winter.  The doctor ran bloodwork and found the leukemia.  Dean was ordered to check himself immediately into the hospital and begin chemotherapy that night.   Over the past month, he has had his first round of chemotherapy and several transfusions.  The bad news is that his leukemia is acute myelodysplasia leukemia (AML) and requires a bone marrow transplant.  A donor is being sought.  On a positive note, Dean's first round of chemo seems to have worked and his white blood count is going up.  He may be able to go home for a little while until a donor is lined up.  When a donor is found, he'll be back in the hospital for another month or two.  Please keep him and his family in your prayers.

Easter was spent in Cincinnati at my brother's house.  As usual, my sister-in-law Penny had way too much good food.  It makes you wonder how someone who was an only child learned to cook such big meals.  While we were in the area, Ed and I stopped by the hospital for a quick visit with Dean.  We had to cut it short, though, because Dean's medication made him sleepy.

Last weekend my sister Karen came for a visit. A couple of her son's friends play baseball for Ohio State.  The one friend, Alex Wimmers, is a starting pitcher and played Friday night.  The other friend, Dan Burkhart, is the starting catcher.  Friday night we had first row seats right behind home plate.  There were about 20 professional scouts in the seats right behind us checking out Alex.  Karen and I were joking that we'll end up with brain tumors because of the radar guns behind us.  If Alex decides to enter the pro draft this year, he is projected to be a first round pick.  He can throw 94 mph fast balls and has 2 other pitches to his repetoirre.  Dan is a very good player also.  He often throws our players trying to steal second base.  His hitting is a little off this year, but I'm sure he'll get back in his groove soon.  On Saturday, we took Blake.  He enjoyed hanging with Brutus Buckeye

 

and being on the field with Dan for the National Anthem.

On the knitting front, I'm trying to finish up a blanket for a friend's baby.


I'm down to the last few rows of the border.  My goal is to finish it this weekend.

The Roses

Work has been getting me down lately.  I'm putting in long hours.  The stress is very high and getting higher by the day.  Ed brought these home today to help ease my burden.  Yellow roses have always been my favorite.