Team Blue Dragon

Here are the twins and Mikey in the "Blue Dragon" soap box derby car. They had a great time building and painting it. RJ's team was the Caveman Race Car. As usual, he was a whirling dervish of activity so no pix.

Week 11 Results

Boo.  I gained 1.4 lbs.  NOT good.  But back on the horse for next week.

Don't You Love This Guy?

Yep, I heart Vince from ShamWow. Every time his ridiculous commercial comes on, I have this urge to order one for the house, one for the car. All I can say is "SHAM - WOW".

Go Speed Racer Go!

The boys are building soap box derby cars this week with an incredibly patient guy :-) There are 8 kids in the group and they are making 2 racers. Here's Liam trying out his team's car (the sides are going on and the painting is being done today). Tomorrow is the big race! I'll try to get some good pix of the little speedsters.

Jon and I were reminiscing about how the neighborhood gang used to build our our go-carts and go careening down the 'big hill' on Madrona St. No brakes unless you count your feet, and I seem to recall some sort of steering that never really worked. It's a wonder we didn't kill ourselves.

Minnesota Sock #1

I just finished my "Minnesota" sock for the upcoming 50 Socks 50 States book. Thanks to Susna's helpful criticism, I think I got a good design here :-) I really like the little circles, they look kind of happy to me. The circle pattern is actually an old Scandinavian motif, which fits nicely with MN's Nordic population. Plus maybe it is reminiscent of the 10,000 Lakes?

We Heart Tootie

Jon's pal Tootie is now a fixture at the P's house. She is working on getting Rex the Wonder Dog (aka Bad Dog Carl) trained to her standards. Also the boys could use a little of her training :-)

Lil Zags

The brothers and I spent a couple of hours wandering around the Gonzaga campus last week while Mikey was in preschool. We hung out in the COG (super ghetto student center!), watched rugby practiced and shagged a few stray footballs, climbed rocks, and snuck into the new Kennel and ran up and down and all around. Then we all posed on the cool bulldog statue out in front.

These three will be attending GU before we know it. Jesuit priests, look out!

Hen School Comes to Spokane

YIKES! Steve just brought home two baby chickens! Of course, I am terrified, but they SEEM harmless :-) He says he will take them over to his clients who raise chickens when I get too frightened. I realize I could crush the life out of the little things with one step, but phobias aren't rational, right?

And I have to admit, the little balls of fluff are darling. The boys are going to D-I-E.

Now, the little guys (no idea if they are boys are girls, how does one figure that out?) need names. So contest!!! First prize for best names gets a pair of Cadbury Egg Chickens, hand knit by yours truly.

Week 10 Results

Yay! I Lost 2.6 lbs! AND I went to yoga class after today's meeting. So 2 pats on the back for Lavs!

I Need to Get to England Stat!

I seem to be fixated on my 'live on a farm' dream lately. I found this 'hen school' class in England, and it's only 45 pounds to attend! Of course, I'd also have to pay to get to England and back, plus overcome my fear of chickens, but those are minor details compared to the possibility of going to HEN SCHOOL.

And they have a pattern to knit sweaters for chickens. Win-Win!

Madness, I Tell You!

The family (Longinotti/Kynaston) is all wrapped up in the NCAA b-ball tournament, with MOST of us predicting the Zags will win it all. Of course, the two traitors (that would be Katie and Pia) chose Louisville as national champions. Black hearted beyotches! That might explain why they are #s 1 and 2 in our family pool though. I am down at the bottom, with only Cara, Steve (who didn't even fill out a tournament bracket) and Walter & Lois worse than me. Come to think of it, Lola and Walt might be backing Louieville too.

Cat Fight!

Y'all remember the super-annoying Kenley from last season's (I think) Project Runway? I actually liked her clothes, but man her personality (and that voice was enough to make you want to cut her.

She just got busted: "the reality star allegedly attacked her sleeping ex-fiancé with her pet cat, water, several apples and a laptop".

That is too funny! Well not for the ex, but for us out in blog-land.

A Fun Video

In line with my secret desire to live on a farm (which, as you may know, is totally irrational since I'm afraid of all animals except spiders) I present this cool little video:

A Sad Day

The final day of publication for my beloved Seattle P-I. I learned to read with the P-I, and it's always been my favorite newspaper. Who's going to keep Seattle honest now?

And I so am not going to read an online newspaper. Bah!

The 10 Best Things About Road Trips with Katie

Katie and I have taken quite a few road trips together: DC to Spokane, Spokane to LA, and of course lots of them from Spokane to Seattle. Our most recent adventure prompted me to think about why I love em so much!

1. Crop Signs on Fence Lines along I-90. Makes me so happy to know what's growing beside the freeway!

2. Learning new skills, such as driving over mountain passes through raging snowstorms or hurricane force winds.

3. She shares my obsession for someday eating at a Bob Evans restaurant.

4. She brings her IPod, and is a good sport about letting me listen to stuff I like rather than the stuff she likes that I've never heard of. And she never complains when I sing along, even though I am tone deaf.

5. She always has the latest podcasts from Ricky Gervais.

6. She's an excellent driver, so I can relax when she's behind the wheel. And she hardly ever tries to grab the steering wheel when I'm driving :-)

7. She doesn't really have to stop and pee all that often.

8. She only grumbles a tiny bit when I insist on stopping at a thrift store.

9. She doesn't yak incessantly. In fact, she mostly plays with her Blackberry so I hardly even know she's there.

10. She invites me to come along! As a mom, this is quite an honor and a joy.

Of course, I also love to travel with Peeps, Cara and Tony. But don't get to do that as often. Where is our next destination, Katie? I'm ready!

A Fly-By Visit to the Fam!

(or some of the fam anyway). Katie and I headed over to Seattle for a very quick visit last weekend, never paying the least bit of attention to the fact that it is STILL WINTER. We stayed with the Falcones (thanks for letting me sleep on the world's hardest mattress, I loved it!) and headed over to Hadley's 2nd birthday party on Saturday. Here's the Peace Baby hat I knit for her. It's pretty big, but she'll be able to wear it for a long long time. And the pattern is for a good cause, you get it if you make a contribution to Doctors Without Borders. Win-Win!

And here's our little birthday girl, scarfing down her birthday cake (actually, she would just stab the fork into the frosting and lick it, but she seemed pretty happy with that). Thanks Val, for letting me steal a picture, I knew you'd have some cute photos! I wasn't permitted to take my camera out during the party, since SOME PEOPLE seem to think I'm incapable of taking a good piccie. Can't imagine where that slander got started. Our gift was Hads' favorite, I'm sure: a 5 pack of Lipsmackers 'wa wa' (lipstick in Hadly-speak). I'm hoping it wasn't made in China, because I think she was eating at least as much as she was smearing on her lips.

Sunday drive home was pure hell. The pass was miserably snowy, we had to buy chains AND put them on ourselves. Where are the unemployed people when they could do some good, chaining up cars? I'd have gladly paid for this service. It took us about 3 hours to creep over the pass, then was smooth sailing the rest of the way. No return trip until spring has sprung!

Week 9 Results

I gained the .2 I lost last week. Bah! I'm blaming it on water weight due to traveling to the wet side of the state for weigh-in.

BRRRR

Sure wish my cashmere blanket was done, or even the Spiderman blankie I'm knitting for Mikey. It's COLD here today, and our furnace is on the fritz! We are waiting for the repair folks to show up. Hope we are not human popsicles by the time they get here!

Revisiting an Old Friend

My favorite series as a kid (besides NANCY DREW of course!) was "Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle". In a crazed effort to maintain calm and avoid car crashes, I've been getting books on CD from the library for the boys to listen to while we drive to our various destinations. I found Mrs. P-W, and offered it to the gang. They all turned up their noses (obvs it is a 'girl book', there's a lady in the title!), but I played it anyway because I wanted to hear it.

They loved Mrs. P-W too! Every day, they immediately quieted down and asked me to play the CD so we could all hear about the latest naughty child and how he/she gets cured by the amazing Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle. I really had fun listening to the stories again. brought me right back to Madrona Street of about 40 years ago.

We're listening to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory now, and enjoying that one too. Yay for books on CD! You've saved my sanity!

And Tate should be watching for some Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle magic in the mail real soon...

You Know You Knit Too Much...

when you knit yourself a Swiffer Cover. And, no, I did NOT knit this. Nor would I ever. Nor would I ever use a Swiffer. Or dust mop my floors.

Swatchin'

For you non-knitters, a 'swatch' is a little sample square knit using your selected yarn and needles, to make sure your work is the right size etc. Or in my case, the swatch is defined as something I seldom bother to make.

But I did make one for my "Mystic Roses" shawl (another mystery knitalong), to ensure that it looked okay before I went to a heinous amount of work and then discovered I didn't like it.

I think this is going to be pretty, I'm currently in love with orangey-reds, so this is perfect!

Stop Growing!

While I was napping, Tatum evidently turned 6. Way too old, if you ask me. Stop growing, missy!

One Down

Here's a picture of my "Say WA" socks that are slated for a new sock book/CD. Here's the press release:

Exciting News!
This is the first of my new designs - called Say "WA" Socks that will be featured in a forthcoming book
"50 Socks - 50 States". This huge multi-sock, multi-designer book will be released ONLY on CD, with previews at the June TNNA show.

The Publisher, Dr. Laura Andersson of Sirius Knitting Publications www.SiriusKnitting.com is collaborating with Susan Druding & Crystal Palace Yarns, who will also be distributors.

"50 Socks - 50 States" is Volume 3 of the "Friendly Socks" series of books, which are multi-designer compilations - bet you will find some of your fave on-line designers here!

The CD will include sock designs that cover the full gamut of imaginative sock fun

ribbing, beading, cables, cuffs, fair isle, intarsia, and lace

with novel sock construction, directions for socks including top-down, toe-up, double-pointed needles & both 1- & 2-circs

diverse sizes too! socks for infants, babies, toddlers, children, teens, women, & men as well as at least one holiday stocking!


You will SOON be able to find more pictures and details at http://SocksandMorewithCPYblogspot.com and > http://siriusknitting.blogspot.com, as well as on www.Straw.com and here on my own blog.

The CD-only release will run $19.95 (plus shipping, where applicable) and can be obtained from many yarn shops
as well as from Dr Laura proflaura@firststepinternet.com or drlaura@siriusknitting.com

We'll keep you posted!

Passed the Belt Test!

All three boys passed their belt tests! Alex and Liam are now Green Belts, and Riveria is a Blue Belt. This is a big step for them, they are now 'intermediate' students of Tae Kwon Do. I am very proud of them! Here's some info about the belts:

Green Belt – The color green represents growth, like that of the green plant as it sprouts out of the ground. The student has built a firm foundation and now begins to grow in the art of Tae Kwon Do.
Blue Belt – The color blue represents the sky. Reminding the student to reach for the heavens and continue their Tae Kwon Do journey.

Week 8 Results

A measly .2 again! That's what I get for not tracking my food. I am going to do better this week. Onward and downward!

At Last, the Prize!

I FINALLY finished Katie's Haiku Contest prize, and here it is:

"The Pillow of K. Longinotti" features strips woven into the knitted pillow. Each strip is one of the haikus written by Fluther readers in my contest.

Plus, of course, the grand prize winner, "Joseph" in its entirety.

Thanks, Pia, for taking the pix for me. And I don't know K's reaction yet, bc she is gone this weekend. But I predict total awe and love.

More Life Skills Lessons from Sliver

Oh do we love Jon! He is teaching the boys everything they need to know to survive in the world. When I got to their house this morning, the twins asked me if knew what a "one-eyed snake" was. I played dumb. "Tee-hee-hee, it's your (whisper) penis" . Of course, I had to laugh, and asked them where they heard that one. "Jon told us". Who else?!

NOT the Winner

boo! I didn't win squat in the "Think Outside the Sox" contest. But then again, having to compete in the Professional category probably doomed me from the outset. Oh well, I do have a cute pair of socks to wear if they ever get sent back.

Week 7 Results

Yay! I lost 1.8 lbs last week! Off the schneid! I'm now down 13 pounds since I started, and I feel just a tad slimmer. Some clothes are starting to feel a bit loose, which is nice. Onward! Next goal: 15 lbs, maybe next week if I work hard...

Happy Birthday, Megalina!

Princess Leia: Hey, I heard that it was Megan's birthday yesterday!

Jawa #1: Yes, it was. You missed it, Fool!

Jawa #2: Who cares, she's not even cool enough to go trick or treating in these fabulous costumes our mom & Grandma Shirley made for us!

Megan: hey, I can't help it if I'm just a baby! And I'm way cuter than you guys anyways!

Megan: and here I am years later, all dressed up for Halloween with a ginormous plastic up-do! Oh wait, maybe this is for the prom! I forget now! But it definitely was my birthday yesterday, so y'all need to bow down to me, bitches!

Happy birthday to our precious Fendi! Love you doll!