Happy Halloween!

May you get nothing but full size candy bars and cool rub-on tattoos in your trick or treat bag! We will be T or T-ing with the boys tonight, I'm sure they are wild with excitement!

Best Costume Award!

My niece Pam and her hubby Josh, along with princess Tatum and Octopus Logan. Tate always make her mom be the evil queen when she is playing, so this outfit is very appropriate. Not sure how the octopus fits in, maybe that is Tatum's version of always making her little sister be the dog or Midge when she plays with her...

Halloween Hi-Jinks!

We went to the Cathedral's Annual Halloween Party and as usual, had a great time! Mikey attended for the first time, he figured out the whole candy thing in no time at all.

Halloween Costumes!

The boys are getting all fired up for Halloween! We went over tonight to see their costumes. Alex is a pirate (looking good, with a hook and all), Riveria is a sort of Grim Reaper G-Rated, Mikey is the world's cutest elephant (with a sword), and Liam squeezed himself into the lion costume he's been wearing for the last 3 years. He was going to be Darth Vader, but it was too scary, he told his mom "I want to be CUTE".

So I'm furiously knitting on this adorable tiger hat for him, so he can go as a tiger/kitty. It's from the Yarnery and I think it's really a clever pattern.

Our Little Vegan

I get such a kick out of the boys! They are so NOT like my own kids. I was babysitting the other day, and Alex ate Liam's muffin (he swears he thought Liam didn't want it. Sure). Anyway, Liam started crying, and I told him he could have his own special snack. I asked him what was his very favorite food, and he said "I DON'T KNOW. A Cucumber?" LOL, only these little guys would choose veg over say a candy bar!

Farmer in the Dell

Mikey is learning his animal sounds. He is a very good lion! But I think he is doing horsey noises here.

Mr. Smarty Pants

We're watching Michael today, and he can clearly out-think us. He and Steve are playing a game on the computer and Michael figured out how to play in about 5 seconds. Don't worry, Mama, it's not one of Steve's scary monster games, it's Curious George.

The Movie I Hate Already

Pia and Steve are getting sick of my asking "WTF is a TV JUNIOR?", so I'm venting here on the blog, then never asking that question again.

Just going on record to say I HATE "Bee Movie" already, and I haven't even seen it. The promos on NBC are ruining my fave show "The Office", and they are so not funny. Seinfeld, if you came up with this lame campaign, shame on you!

WWKD?

Take the "What Would Katie Do" poll, and help our traveling Florence Nightingale decide where her next assignment should be!

She's pondering staying in Seattle for a stint at Virginia Mason (her old stomping grounds), doing a turn back home in Spokane (yeah! We have your room all ready for you!), heading to warmer (and smokier) climes in Cali, trying out Texas (why Katie why?), or perhaps parts unknown.

Your vote could help her pick her next assignment!!!

BRRRRRRRRR!

We are supposed to get our first frost tonight. Time to find the ice

scrapers and the mittens! Winter is coming. At least it is good knitting weather.

2nd Annual S&B!

The E-vites are in your inboxes! Our 2nd Annual Sundstrom Family Stitch & Bitch is ON. Of course, it's all sort of hinging on whether or not B & B will host it at the cabin and whether we can all make it on the selected dates (Dec. 28-30). It's still early enough to change things, but let's TRY to get together on this weekend, so Fred & Irene can be with us!

And B-Z, your daughter said I don't need an invite to come to the cabin, so blame her.

A Surprise in the Mail

I forgot that I had ordered the October Sock of the Month from Jimmy Bean's Wools! My 2 skeins of Lorna's Laces sock yarn in Candy Corn arrived today, and I guess I'd better get busy on some new socks if I want to wear them for Halloween!

I Actually Left the House Today!

yep, for reals! It was such a pretty day, I decided to go do a little thrift store shopping (because that's how I roll) I got a bunch of good patterns to sell on my website, which is always a good feeling. Recycling, ya know.

I also indulged in a little yarn store shopping at my lys, A Grand Yarn. They had Shi Bui sock yarn, which is new to me. But I just happened to have a pattern for these cool opera length fingerless gloves, that are made in this yarn, so two skeins hopped in my bag. I'm thinking Christmas for a certain lady I know who ALWAYS has cold hands...

I Believe I Can Climb...

Alex tries out the cool new climbing toy.

Balancing Act

Pia wanted to be featured in the blog, so here she is helping Michael work the balance beam like a pro!

More Mikey!

Here's another vid of the little guy!

Life With Mikey

Michael is getting so big! He is definitely in "the boys' club" now, he copies everything his big brothers do (for good and for evil).

Baby Loves Disco II

And here's Alex's version of "The Robot":

Baby Loves Disco

Or something like that. Liam does "The Robot" in his own special way...

SPOOOOOKY!!

Liam (scary pumpkin) and Alex (scary witch) provided some holiday illustrations for my blog. Too scary!!

We had a 'ghostly' experience last night! I was babysitting over at Lorraine's and the doorbell kept MYSTERIOUSLY ringing, but no one was there! We were sure it was a ghost! But then we decided it was a short in the wiring, and after the twins complained that it was 'irritating' and they couldn't sleep, I dismantled the doorbell. End of ghost story.

Pottery for Knitters

You know how you start looking for random stuff on the internet? I found this adorable pottery at Kara Irish Pottery called "Aranware", with Aran cable patterns. And now I want the whole set. Santa, are you listening???

I'm Dreaming of Some New Glasses

Of course, these were only available in 1957. Love the Cat's Eye Look!!

More Tipping Over Models!

Because she knows how much I love to watch models fall down, Susan sent me this video. As she said, it will never happen to us, cuz we wouldn't fit in a hole that size. We'll just break our cankles...

My Exercise Program

Now I just need to find the shoes and get out the door!

A Blustery Weekend!

It's a good day to curl up in front of the TV with the knitting. Grey and windy and cold! Our yard is full of leaves; that means it needs to snow very soon so we don't have to look at them on the ground anymore :-)

I seem to have a plethora of WIPs (works in progress) right now. These are just the ones sitting in my basket right now:

1. socks in Online City Color yarn in the Seattle colorway (think blue, green and grey) Sock #1 is almost done. It's stripey.
2. Princess Leah wig/hat for Pia's Halloween costume. One 'bun' to knit then it's done.
3. Alex's Ninja mask for his Halloween costume. Haven't started it yet, so better get busy!
4. Doll panties and stockings. I was supposed to make these AGES ago, but got sidetracked. The pants are almost done. The stockings are going to be a real challenge, with some short row action to shape the feet.
5. Liam's Pirate Hat. Not started yet, but the yarn is in the basket waiting patiently.

Plus I have a stack of books I want to read. And housework galore that could be done. I guess it is a good thing the weather is nasty, maybe I'll get at least one of these things accomplished (prolly not the housework tho)

Halloween Knitting

The Addams Family wishes you happy Halloween knitting!

Remember These?

Most of my readers (I'm talking daughters and nieces) will be too young to remember the fab paper dolls of the 60s, but I worshipped them! Especially the wedding sets. Kathleen at Dakota Dreams has posted a set of them, that you can download and print. Have the wedding of your dreams!

Pretty Pumpkin!

All of you "Little Miss Hadley" fans have already seen our cute little punkin, but I love this picture SO much, I had to put it on my blog. Don't you just want to pinch those round little cheeks so hard she will run from you every time you come visit!!??

There's A Name for It

Coulrophobia is an abnormal or exaggerated fear of clowns. It is not uncommon among children, but is also sometimes found in teenagers and adults as well. Sufferers sometimes acquire a fear of clowns after having a bad experience with one personally, or seeing a sinister portrayal of one in the media.
Not all sufferers of the phobia experience the same degree of fear

Wait A Minute!

I just read the email I got from Lorraine about the Marshmallow Shooter! Here it is:

yes they would love it

Doesn't that look like a "YES" to you?!! OMG shooting smarshmallows 30 feet, this will bring our camping trips to a whole new level of fun and tears!

Another Set of Sleeping Beauties

I thought Pam and Logan were the only sleeping beauties in the family, but Kip and Maddie are equally adorable (well Mads is, Kip is perhaps not as precious as Pam---see previous post---sorry Kipper) Makes me wish I had a little naptime buddy to snuggle with. Too bad I sent Kate the Quadraplegic Cat over to Hadley, she would be perfect!

Two Little Pumpkins Sitting on a Fence...

Mads and Hads modeling their pumpkin hats. With their adorable round faces, they make perfect little punkins!

Greatest Toy EVER!

I asked Lorraine if I could buy this for the boys, but for some reason she said NO. Go figure! It's from the Chasing Fireflies catalog:

marshmallow shooter
Watch out for U.W.F.O.'s -- unidentified white flying objects! The hottest gadget in the fight against planetary boredom, this pump-action, rapid-fire design shoots mini marshmallows over 30 feet! Holds over 20 marshmallows (or foam pellets, which are included). This might do wonders at the office, too.

Christmas is coming...

The Dream Dies...

Boo! I didn't get the library job, probably some bendy 16 year old who can actually shelve books on the bottom shelves got it. So I will have to wear my Chinese pig-eyes bun with pencil adornment at home instead of at the lib...

Beautiful Ladies

Aren't these two ladies lovely? It's my niece Pam and her darling baby girl Logan. Looks like they must have had a busy day! I think they were wrestling Loggie in and out of her Octopus Costume, hard work!

Dream Job...

I just got back from an interview at the library! We live just a couple of blocks from our library, and they are hiring a page for part time work (I think this is normally a job they give to high schoolers, but hey, it's close by and still leaves me some free time, so I thought I'd try for it.)

This could fulfill my lifelong dream of becoming just like Mrs. Corner, the librarian at the old Bothell Library when we were kids. She would yell at me when I brought my books back late (as I nearly always did), wouldn't let kids check books out of the adult section, and refused to have Nancy Drew books at the library, as she felt they were trash. A great lady!!!

Should know if I get the job by tomorrow, wish me luck!

A Walk in the Woods

We went for a good walk yesterday at Riverside State Park (got out of the movie, which was good cuz I started back on weight watchers yesterday and I know I couldn't have resisted the Bottomless Pit of Popcorn). Steve, Lorraine, the four boys and I took ourselves over to the Bowl and Pitcher and enjoyed a beautiful fall day. This is the Suspension Bridge you cross, a little SCARY. It def. bounces a bit when you get a lot of people on it. Alex was pretty nervous about it tumbling into the river, but we made it across safely.

We found a lot of interesting rocks (which somehow Grandma Laurie ended up carrying), saw a Blue Heron out on the river, and had a good workout walking for an hour or so. Then we went over to the Parlange's house for dinner, where we had a very healthy meal of chicken, couscous and salad. All WW approved!

The Weekend Update

I am working away on the Princess Leia Wig for Pia's Halloween costume. The hat part is done and now I am knitting away (endlessly) on the 'buns'. I must say, this pattern is not very well written, I can't believe I paid $8.00 for it (suckah!) But that's what I get for being too lazy to figure out how to make it myself.


Not much happening here this weekend, we're watching the baseball playoffs, with Steve rooting for the Sox and me cheering on Cleveland. I can't BELIEVE I am married to a member of Red Sox Nation. Actually, we're all just thrilled that the Yankees are out. The Curse of A-Rod lives on!!

Tomorrow, we're going to see Ratatouille with the boys. Should be a grand time.

"The War"

I've been watching the Ken Burns documentary "The War" on PBS, and it's fascinating. I keep looking at the film clips and the photos to see if Dad is there

It's really kindled my interest in learning about what our dad did in World War II. I don't know anything much about where he served, how he was wounded, or what unit he was in. I only know he enlisted right after high school (right?) and that he served with the Marines in the South Pacific

I added his name to the register at the National World War II Memorial, but didn't have any additional info to give. OK, family, anyone know more?

Three Amigos

I was cleaning out some of my zillions of picture files (most of which contain really bad photos, I take pictures about as competently as I ride a bike) and I found this one of Liam, Alex and Riveria. This is one of my favorite pix of the three little guys, it pretty much captures their personalities. Of course, they are MUCH bigger now (this was taken in 2005), but still just as cute!

Our Number is Finally Called at the DMV...

Alex and I waited forever for #086 to be called. Here's a snapshot of the two of us right before they called our number. Happy Halloween!

White Ninja Costume

My boys firmly believe that I can knit ANYTHING, including their Halloween costumes. Alex is obsessed with the White Ninja right now, as only a 7 year old boy can be. I think I'll use this pattern from Knitty to make my little Ninja happy.

Now I have to find the Grim Reaper for Riveria and a lion for Liam. Or we can all go to the Dollar Store and buy cheap plastic costumes, which will make them even happier probably.

Hatty #2

Just so y'all don't think I am a complete slacker, I'm reporting that Pumpkin Hat #2 is dunzo, and will be mailed to Zaide's house for pickup. I expect pictures of the lil punkins!

Animal Planet!

The boys and I had an exciting adventure yesterday! We arrived at Whitworth U. for their reading lessons, and noticed a police car and an animal control guy with a big net. Since we had time to kill before reading started and snacks to eat, we wandered over to see what was happening.

A BIG Bald Eagle was on the ground, and the animal control officer was trying to catch him/her in the net (it was reportedly injured). The news guys showed up to take some pix (must have been a slow news day) and channel 6 interviewed the boys! Alex made the final cut and here is his moment of fame. BTW, the eagle flew off so I guess it must have been ok. Sorry this is such a poor quality video; I have to find umpteen special cables to copy it directly off of the tv. If I do track them down I'll re-record the clip and re-post it!

Alex and I spent an incredibly dull hour at the DMV on Saturday renewing my driver's license (thank god for that $113.00 speeding ticket, or I'd never have realized my license had expired ;-) The Dept. of Licensing offers Tips for Your Trip to the DMV, but not the tips you REALLY need:

1. 1. Bring something to read, unless you are prepared to fight the other 75 people for the single magazine available in the waiting room:Bowhunters and Other Killers of Innocent Animals, dated 1983.
2. Bring cash. This is the only place left in the civilized world that doesn't take a debit or credit card (they do take checks though, go figure)
3. Your waiting time is not made any shorter if you bring a small child with you. Even if it is a screaming, crying, wriggling or smelly small child. (Note: Alex was extremely well-behaved, probably better behaved than I was)
4. Your number will always be at least 15 away from the next number being served, no matter how long you have been waiting.
5. You can while away some time trying to figure out how the majority of the people there managed to get a driver's license (and they can wonder the same thing about you)
6. You will always look, stupid, fat and slightly crazy in your driver's license picture.

That said, the employees were very nice, friendly and efficient, even though the place was super crowded cuz no one comes any time except Saturday afternoon at their lunch hour. They do need to get some stickers for the kids though; all our guy could offer Alex was a little return address label printed "new address", not too exciting.

Danger Island!!!

Tatum is following in Grandpa Doug's footsteps with her gymnastics skills. I'm not sure a handstand in the tubby is the safest move though...better put a helmet on this girl!

Mariners Fan

Liam beams his happy smile when he gets a load of the stuff I snagged for the boys at the last Mariners game. Freebies are the best!

Stunt Rider

Alex is showing me his bike riding skills, the boys have gotten very good at riding without training wheels. All three can do jumps, ride with one hand, with NO hands, with hands backwards on the handlebars, with one leg, with legs crossed, stand up and ride, I think stand on the seat and ride and lots of other stunts.

Carnival Craziness

We had a fun time at the Linwood School Carnival (thank god I am no longer in the PTA and don't have to organize this sort of thing, it was a total madhouse). Alex is modeling the vampire teeth he won in the fishpond, and Liam is getting his face painted as a cheetah (Al was a 'White Ninja, very terrifying). Liam won a cake in the cakewalk and we enjoyed the gummy worm dirt cake he chose. I never did get any pictures of Riveria, as he was in 2nd grade tearing around mode. He did get put in jail 3 times (by GIRLS), but that was about the only time I ever saw him. Mikey observed all the action for future reference, and Lorraine, Grandma Eileen and I just tried to keep an eye on everyone and stay sane.

The three big boys then spent the night with us, always a great time! We stopped at the market on the way home, and Liam asked "do you think the store people will know we are humans?", as he felt his cheetah makeup might confuse them. We decided that he could show his hands, and that would tell them that he was a human since he didn't have paws & claws.

Hatty

Here's P. Hatty (Pumpkin Hat) Number 1, all finished (but still needing blocking). I finished this in a day, it's a fun project and I think very cute! I've started on #2, and should have it done today or tomorrow. Then the two cute little cousins can wear them for Halloween, so their mothers will not dress them up as clowns!

Thank God for the Dinette Set!!

Man, the comics have been unrelentingly grim lately! I read them yesterday and in five minutes I was totally depressed. First, Grampa has a stroke in "For Better or for Worse", then Lisa kicks the bucket in "Funky Winkerbean", THEN Hammie's turtle is found floating on it's back in "Baby Blues". Yikes! Luckily, Wanda was able to do turtle CPR today and revive the little critter, but things don't look good for Grampa, and we know Lisa ain't coming back.

So I am always happy to get my daily dose of "The Dinette Set", and once again they've captured me to perfection.

A Cool Halloween Wig Pattern!

I don't know why, but I am a sucker for the knitted wig! I found the Princess Leia Wig pattern and I had to buy it! Pia, here comes your Halloween costume for this year (which is only fitting, since you did go as Prin. L. when you were 4 years old.)

Punkin Heads!

I'm in a Halloween knitting mood, so I'm going to cast on for Pumpkin Hats for some cute little girls I happen to know...That's my little pal Michael modeling his Pumpkin hat last year (the pattern is Patrick's Pumpkin, Fiber Trends #CH-14 and it's really cute)

And I may have to dig out the Desperate Hausfrau wig I knit for Pia last year, so I can start frightening the children in my neighborhood (if there are any, I swear this place is deserted during the day, except for me. It's like an episode of the Twilight Zone).

Knitting Tat!

I've wanted a tattoo of Babs, the Knitting Chicken, since 2000, when the movie "Chicken Run" came out. Thanks to my talented tattoo artist nephen Peter (Rain City Tattoos in Seattle), I now have Babs! She's a beauty!

Home Sweet Home!

Just arrived home from Seattle, a trip that was not without its little adventures. Fought off sleep the whole way of course (could Seattle-Spokane BE any more boring? I think not...) Got within 2 miles of the house, off the freeway and on the last stretch of highway headed to home, when oops! I'm getting pulled over for going 70 in a 55 mph zone. Damn! Not only was I speeding, but I also had an expired driver's license (forgot it needed to be renewed on my birthday last month!) and my insurance had just lapsed (forgot I needed to renew that too!) We won't mention the Virginia license plate cuz Officer Friendly didn't...

My $113.00 speeding tickie was just the perfect finishing touch to the week's automotive horror. I'm glad to be home, and other than a trip to the DMV to renew my license, I am staying inside for a while!