Ouch!

Poor Pearl Fiona the Kia Sedona! Her front end is looking a little sad. I crunched the front headlight cover yesterday when I was swinging into a parking space -- guess I needed to 'swing' a little bit less. Cara, how much does a replacement cost
:-(

Jumping Bean

I took this video with my new Blackberry (lost the old one, NOW I have insurance). It doesn't transfer super well to the computer but our little jumping bean is still pretty cute.

Rockin' The Manpris!

Nobody looks as good in a pair of man-pri's as Mikey. Nobody.

Scary Knitting Projects

Yikes! I would freak out if the Baalaclava showed up at my door on Halloween.

Camping Fun

Steve & I just got back from camping with Lorraine, Jon and the boys. We went to Swan Lake way up by Republic (up near Canadian border), and boy was it beautiful! It's not a big lake, but it's very pretty. No jet skis or motor boats are allowed, so it was blissfully quiet.

This was the annual Mountain Bike Festival weekend, so there were a fair number of bikers there. Mikey won first prize in the kid's obstacle course! He could have chosen a new bike helmet (to replace the batting helmet he's currently wearing) and lots of other cool prizes, but he picked a light up suction cup ball (prolly from the Dollar Store). He seems happy with it tho.

The twins learned to kayak so they spent the entire weekend out on the water, two little Huck Finns. Did a little fishing but no luck. This morning Liam, Mikey and I went out in a canoe, which was a lot of fun and very relaxing. Alex stuck with the kayak.

I would def. camp here again; it's a long drive from Spokane but well worth it.

A Little Sock Progress

I still have way too many projects in the works, so I'm trying hard to finish a few things before I tackle anything new. These are a pair of socks I started in August, and I just picked them back up to see if I could finish at least ONE sock. The pattern is really pretty and mad complicated looking.

Harvest Time

Steve and I finally couldn't wait any longer (well I couldn't wait) and we dug up our 'potatoes grown in a garbage can'. Not bad! We got several pounds worth, and even a few good sized ones. We are taking the spuds camping tomorrow (we are camping, the spuds are going along for dinner lol), and I think they will be delish cooked in foil.

Next year, we'll plant fewer per can, and have several cans going. This was soooo easy and didn't have to weed even once.

School Shoes!

Who doesn't love a new pair of school shoes!? I have very fond memories of our grandmother (Toddie) taking us to Frederick & Nelson for new saddle shoes, a new dress and a big ole slip for school, then lunch in the Paul Bunyan Room (tuna on health bread and a chocolate shake. I'd give a million bucks to eat at the PBR again)

Anyhoo, the twins got some fancy new sneaks. Can you guess whose feet are shod in the practical Velcros and who got the uber-fancy Air Jordans with patent leather?

If you know our twinnies, you have guessed that Alex is the fancy pants and Liam went with the 'easy on' Velcros. Amazingly, Alex has now remembered how to tie his own shoes and can get those babies on lickety split.

Mikey was dying for a pair of light-up sneaks, but they didn't have his size. Major meltdown in Children's Shoes @ Nordy's :-) The next morning, I was getting his old shoes on and he told me "Wowe, ouch, my feet hurt weally weally bad. I need some new shoes." Faker, but you gotta admire his love of the Nordy's shoe dept.

More Mikey Preshy-ness

Mikey found a 'whirlybird' outside today and insisted on putting it on his nose. I looked in the back seat on the way home from preschool and there he was, conked out with his whirlybird decoration.

So Cute!

Mikey and his mom broke a wishbone tonight. I asked him what his wish was and he said "I wish I could go to Wowe's house right now". Aaaaah! Of course, since they each got the same size bone, he didn't get his wish.
:-)

More Stuff I Don't Want To Knit

Happy Poo. Why?

Too Shy

I am too shy. Call it shyness, social anxiety, what have you. I definitely have it.

Today, I planned to go to a knitalong at my favorite yarn store, A Grand Yarn. I know the people who work there, I've been there a million times, I enjoy these people, and I had the pattern and yarn all ready to go.

And when it came time to head over, I absolutely could not bring myself to go. Boo.

Why I Can Never Be Japanese

Because I found this 'simple' book of origami designs at the thrift store, and brought it to the boys, who LOVE Pokemon. I tried to make a couple of the little critters for them, and immediately got completely lost in the intricacies of the 'mountain fold' and following all the little arrows and whatnot.

I think Pikachu is now in the recycling bin.

Boys...

This is part of the scrum that was happening in the dining room this morning. Jon was getting his AM exercise by 'pounding' Mikey (on top in the orange shorts) and Riveria. The twins were just about to enter the fray with flying knee drops. Girls don't do this sort of thing, do they?

%#^&*@ Mystery Socks!

For the love of mike, this sock may be the death of me. Seemed pretty straightforward: must be knit using yellow yarn. Fine, I have some yellow sock yarn. Clue #1: ribbing for 9 rounds. Fine, I can do ribbing with my eyes closed.

Then the knife in the dark: make a 'vikkel braid' on the next round. This is an Estonian knitting technique where you create a cute little braided effect around one row (you can kind of see it in the picture). Fine, I think. I've done these braided things before.

Well, I spent at least TWO HOURS last night trying to knit the first 3 stitches of this damn braid. The technique could NOT be done, at least not by me. I threw it down in frustration and went to bed. I dreamed of vikkeling all night. I was not going to be denied my mystery sock! I've been knitting longer than most of my readers have been alive, how could I NOT KNOW HOW TO VIKKEL???

Checked Ravelry for any helpful posts and found another knitter who said she/he had succeeded when they made their braid and the round before it very loose. Aha! I switched to size 3 needles and vikkeled away!

Never will forgive those Estonians, though.

I Die...

OK all you lucky knitters who have little girls to knit for, is this not the most adorable thing you've ever seen? The free pattern is in the latest issue of Petite Purls, which is an absolutely delightful little knitting e-mag.

Birthday Love

Thanks B!!!! After my whinging about not getting to go to the M's games where they gave away DVDs of their commercials, she sent me both of them for my birthday. Couldn't be happier :-) And I'll be spending the evening reliving those great moments in Mariners advertising.

Summer's Over...

the boys and I (along with good sports Katie and Pia, who joined us) went to the fab new Comstock swimming pool for the last day it was open. Definitely worth the $1.00 admission fee! It is a gorgeous pool with a great slide. Can't wait for summer to come again so we can swim there.

LOL

The boys are spending the night at our house. I was working on my computer when I noticed remote control Spiderman motorcycle parked next to me. The note reads "Tuck Me In". The twins are not only smart, they are too lazy to walk in and talk to me :-)

When Did This Happen?

When did Tatum grow up and become a 1st Grader!?

And how cute that Grammy and Grampa came to see her on her first day.

Week I Don't Remember Weight Loss Update

I haven't been to a meeting in 3 weeks, so was expecting the worst today. But I managed to lose .8 lbs while I was slacking off! Yay!

Time for a Little Natalie Dee

I always laughed when the kids would make "Suicides" at the Zip Trip. Why do kids love to do this??


nataliedee.com

LMAO!

All you dog lovers, here's your Xmas gift solution: The Snuggie for Dogs!

Yikes!

Thank god for bike helmets. Steve got hit by a car today, and was sent sailing over the car that hit him. If he hadn't been wearing his helmet, his brains would be strewn all over Garland Ave.

The beyotch who hit him kept going, may she rot in hell. Two nice ladies did stop and help him, and the police, fire dept and Q6 News came too (if he's not dead, I don't think he'll make the evening news tho)

He has a nasty cut on his eyebrow, his thumb is mangled and he has various cuts and scrapes. But he is not residing in the brain-dead section of the hospital thank jebus.

Wear those helmets, folks!

Beets for Dwight

Because I love "The Office" more than any other show, I just joined this group on Ravelry called "Beets for Dwight". The groups goal is to knit 100 beets and send them to Rainn Wilson, who I'm just sure will be thrilled (I know I would be).


This is the pattern I'm going to use, which I just happen to have already! So it was fated that I join this group...

Pooh's New Tat!

Tony got this neat new tattoo (stole the pic off his Facebook page, since he is too far away to view it in person boo hoo), I like it! That looks like a painful place to get a tat tho...

Dept. of Guilty Pleasures

I love Dominick Dunne. I have read every 'true crime among the rich and famous' article he wrote for Vanity Fair mag. So I was pretty sad to read about his death a couple of weeks ago.

However, truTV saved me by running a marathon of his show "Power, Privilege and Justice", which I DVR'd (is that a verb?) and have been watching over the Labor Day weekend. Bliss! Nothing better than knitting and watching murder and mayhem.

What show is your guilty pleasure?

First Day of Preschool!

Mikey is a preschooler now! He goes four days a week, and so far he loves it. He gets hot lunch AND a snack, so he thinks it's heaven. I thought he might be a little shy when I dropped him off; he quickly let me know that wasn't the case when he pushed me and said "you need to leave now, Wowe." How quickly they turn on you!

Creative Writing

Lorraine just gave me this journal entry Liam wrote last year, which I totally love. He is a phonetic speller, so keep that in mind:

" One time are famule went kamping and we went fishing. Alex tolt Loure (that's me) to hold his fishing pole. So she did and Loure cot a fish. Loure did not ixpect it. She was srprist. Loure gave the pole back to Alex and told him wat happind. Alex was srpriesed to. He laft hardr and hardr!"

All true, and how kute is that!?

Young Picasso

Here's a picture Mikey made at preschool. He tells me it is his family:

top row (in yellow marker) Kobey and Tootie the dogs and Mama (don't know who the macaroni person is)

middle row in black: Mikey and Laurie (I'm the big round one lol)

bottom row in blue: the 'Vivies' (he calls the twins Vivie One and Vivie Two), Riveria and Jon.