Socks!

I HEART this picture Pia took! That's me (on the far left), Susna and Loutie modeling our hand-knit socks while knitting on the couch at the cabin.

And needless to say, our feet were the toastiest at the cabin!

T-Day Fun!

The Three Senoritas (Pia, Katie and me) headed over the Channeled Scablands (how great is the state of Washington to include 'scablands'?) to spend turkey day with the family. As always, B & Bob were the perfect hosts at their cabin. We loved spending time with my sisters and their spouses, Mimi, the cousins and of course the little girls.

Lots of knitting, chatting, laughing, favorite story re-telling, and eating = the perfect weekend!

The Best Thanksgiving Show EVER

I laugh every time I see this picture and think of Monica doing the turkey dance for Chandler.

So Thankful...

I have so many things to be thankful for this year (which hasn't been the greatest year personally):

1. the four best children in the universe. How did I get so lucky? Because they unfailingly have my back, are smart, successful, funny as can be, actually read books and know a thing or two, are beautiful, have all (or almost all) of their teeth, and are loyal to the nth degree. LOVE YOU ALL.

2. a fabulous family. My sisters are the BEST. And they have wonderful daughters and sons who make any family get-together a delight. Plus there's a new generation of Sundstrom girls who are going to be a great addition to the family!

3. the four wildest, wackiest, and wonderful boys (I spelled that 'wounderful', which may be even more correct lol) to take care of daily. I shudder to think what my life would be like without my daily dose of RJ, Liam, Alex and Mike P. Thanks, Lorraine, for letting me be 'Grandma Wowe' to your gang. Hopefully, introducing you to Jon was sufficient payback :-)

4. knitting. This is my daily therapy (not necessarily cheap therapy, but portable). I have been knitting pretty much non-stop since about 1972, and have a sweater, a shawl and some socks in my own drawers to show for it. But hopefully I've provided a steady stream of gifts to those I love.

5. books. Since I discovered "The Big White House" in first grade, I've always had a book in my hand. Laura and Mary Ingalls, Betsy, Tacy and Tib, Nancy Drew, Harriet the Spy and The All of a Kind Family were my best childhood friends, and I still love opening a new book and discovering what's inside. No Kindle for me! Paper books 4EVER!

Hope you all have a happy turkey day!

The Case of The Pilfered Wallet

The Scene of the Crime: The P. household
The Victim: Jon
The Alleged Perp: Mike P.

The Allegation:

Jon's wallet was missing. Circumstantial evidence (poker face plus shifty eyes) pointed to Mike P.

The Investigation:
Everyone tore apart the house looking for the goods. Jon "carefully checked" his pants (we have only the victim's word on this). No wallet.

The Interrogation:
The alleged perp was seated under a bright light and mercilessly questioned by the victim. He lawyered up immediately (aka Mom) and kept his piehole shut.

The Torture:
Victim enlisted expert torture squad (aka the brothers) to try to break the perp. Perp's room was 'tossed' with an item at a time being thrown out in an attempt to crack his iron will. Wails were heard when the Star Wars poster went sailing out.

The Lawyer:
Protecting her client was her sole concern. She disappeared into the scene of the crime (Mom's room) and reappeared triumphantly holding the missing wallet. Attorney claims said wallet was in the pants pocket all along.

The Verdict:
Collusion and protection of the perp are suspected. However, perp escapes without serving any prison time. Victim still highly suspicious of both perp and his mouthpiece.

CASE CLOSED.

The Turtleneck Question

Seems we have a split household here. Katie abhors the turtleneck (or any item of clothing that touches her throat). I would wear one any day (and in fact am wearing a pink mock turtle right this minute, mostly to horrify Katie).

Take the poll, what's your stand?

Wow!

Pia and Katie treated me to lunch and a show today. We saw "The Lion King", and it was sooo good! The costumes are beyond amazing, the acting and singing wonderful, and of course the songs are superb. Thanks for the special day, girls!

Yikes! Or Should I Say Golly...

I'm adding some 'vintage' pattern books to sell on my website. One is a book from 1941, and includes this doll, called a "Gollywog". Yikes, this is "so fucking wrong" as Katie just exclaimed. Was it okay back in '41?

More Phone Woes

I believe I've now destroyed my cell phone in every possible way. I was trying to 'hide' some weird icon and managed to hide EVERY one of my icons. Actually, after an hour at the T-Mobile store, they assured me it really wasn't MY fault, somehow my software got corrupted. So a new Blackberry is headed my way. Wish it was an I-Phone.

A Book for the Kids

I was at the thrift store today and found a Rotten Ralph book! RR was our very favorite character back when the 'Nottis were little tykes. He is 'still rotten' as the cover sticker guarantees, and as fun as ever.

Completely Logical

Liam is a very logical child. Recently, he wrote a story about crawdads (our favorite thing to catch in the Little Spokane River this summer). He illustrated it with a picture of a giraffe. When asked why he put a giraffe on his story his reply was, "I don't know how to draw a crawdad, but I can draw a giraffe." Makes perfect sense in this world!

New Socks!

I managed to finish something! These are "Monkey" by Cookie A. (no idea why they are called Monkey) The yarn is beautiful Orange Campari colorway from Wollmeise.

I need to drag out the Advent Tree patterns and see which ones I still have to knit for this year, it's coming up fast!

Book List

"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend.
Inside of a dog it's too dark to read."

Groucho Marx

Here's what I'm reading right now, both of which I recommend whole-heartedly:

"Dancing in the Dark: A Cultural History of the Great Depression" by Morris Dickstein. This one might not be everyone's cup of tea, but it's an interesting look at the 30s written in an accessible style. The author uses the films, books, photos and music of the Depression years to analyze this era (with some pertinent parallels to our own financially depressed times).

"My Life in France" by Julia Child. Delightful! If you loved "Julie and Julia" as much as I did, you'll enjoy this account of Julia's years in France. Much of the film used anecdotes from this book, and it's fun to read the stories in Julia's own words.


I'm not really much of a fiction reader, but did read the new Dan Brown book "The Lost Symbol". Doesn't rate a picture lol. Actually, it was a fast, fun read, but I thought the ending was stupid (just like his other books). One fiction book I did enjoy was "Home Safe" by one of my fave authors, Elizabeth Berg.

Helen, a successful author, is thrown into emotional turmoil when her husband dies unexpectedly -- and leaves a secret. Her quest to find out if her husband had been leading a double life leads her on a path of discovery about her relationship with her daughter, her writing and what makes a home and family. OK, that sounds a little cheesy, but really, she's a wonderful writer, I love her! If you like this one, try "Range of Motion", "Joy School" or
"Talk Before Sleep".

Good Dog Bear

Cara called this morning to let us know that Bear (our beloved Esky) went to heaven today. :-(

She was one of the only dogs I've ever loved -- when she came into our lives, she was a tiny ball of white fur and big black eyes. Sensing that she would need to win me over in order to become a member of the fam, she immediately snuggled into my neck and fell asleep in my arms. As you can imagine, I was totally charmed.

She was a rascal as a puppy, and loved to play the "I escaped from the yard, I'm running amok in the neighborhood, and as soon as you get within arm's reach of me, I'm taking off again" game. We all remember the day she fell off the bed, and had to have puppy ACL surgery, then wore a cast for a while. She was so pitiful with her back leg all stretched out in a cast lol. She also had some sort of tummy troubles when she was a pup, so we were into her for hundreds of dollars in vet bills from the very start, but we loved her anyway.

She had a grand long life, ending her days as a regal Virginia lady. I read something the other day that seems perfect:

Question: Do dogs go to heaven?
Answer: It wouldn't be heaven without them.

We'll see you in heaven, sister!

Slips!

Hey, Car, remember these?!

We purchased these really cheesy underpants (think speedos in a size 3) for the boys when we were at Marks & Spencer in London. Why didn't we buy them all the Becks merchandise instead, Carrie? Anyways, I found this picture on my camera (courtesy one of the boys), and it made me laugh. Mikey wears the slips now, and Jon makes fun of him. Every time.

Mikey Gets in Trouble

One of our favorite books is "David Gets in Trouble" by David Shannon. Last night it was Mikey's turn...he had a complete fit and went mental when Mom and Jon wouldn't buy him gum at the grocery store. He came home and trashed his bedroom. Wowe had to come to the rescue and get him settled down. Then we picked up toys. And made his bed. And picked up clothes. Alex captured the settling process on the cell phone :-)

4 year olds can have a decent tantrum, even our Mike P. But all is well now!

Mobius Kids' Museum

Mobius Kids' Museum is one of our favorite places to spend an afternoon. The gang headed over the other day as a reward for getting all their homework done :-) Here are a couple of pix:

Mikey is our man in bugs. He's eyeballing a stick insect, making sure the creepy thing doesn't lunge for his face.

RJ the Firefighter. He's usually 'too cool' for stuff like this, but today he had fun dressing up.

Fave Blog by Someone Who is Not Related to Me

OMG! I just discovered that my fave Project Runway Designer, Chris March, is blogging about this season's PR designers! TDF!!! Here's what he has to say about that beyotch Irina: Irina lives on the Upper East Side of Manhattan (where else would her ego fit right in?) with the gayest poodle on Earth, Princess. Gayer than Clay Aiken’s poodle, gayer than Elton John’s poodle, even gayer than Tom Cruise’s poodle. Gayest. Poodle. Ever.

Love.

First Snow!

The first one that's actually sticking, anyway. Looking a wee bit winter wonderland outside! Isn't this a pretty picture? Needless to say, I didn't take it, it's swiped from Google images.

Knitting Retreaters

Here's a group picture of our AGY Knitting Retreat ladies (plus mascot Carl in his lion costume. I always wanted to call him "Good Dog, Carl" lol). Pat, Susna and I are hiding out back row center.

My Daily Commute

Pooh was complaining via Facebook this morning how it took him 2 hours to drive to work in Alexandria. Hey, Tonsy, there's NO TRAFFIC in Spokane. In fact, this is my daily trip to the office:

Step 1: Head down the basement stairs.

Step 2: kick Katie's dirty clothes out of the way and clear a path to the door.

Step 3: Here's my inventory room! Mind you, it's a complete mess right now and I can't find a thing, but it only took me about 10 seconds to get there (30 seconds if I have to kick a lot of clothes out of my path)

New Digs

I've taken over the spare bedroom at the girl's house. Couldn't ask for better roomies! Now to unpack all my boxes yuk.

Goodbye Toddie House!

Sad, we are leaving our cute little brick house this weekend. The boxes are pretty much packed. I will miss the neighborhood and the park!

This Week's Weight Watcher's Report

Evidently the Halloween candy and alcohol only diet works! I lost 2.2 lbs. last week. This week I plan to return to more traditional Weight Watchers fare. It was one of those weeks where candy & booze were mandatory.

Santa, Are You Listening?

Mikey and I were talking to "Ho-Ho" tonight. He asked Santa for Bakugan toys and a new cover for his tree house. I asked Ho-Ho to bring me these adorable candles from Anthropologie and a winning lottery ticket.

THE Car Convo

This is the one I've been dreading:

Riveria: I heard someone talking about S-E-X. Do you know what that is?

Everyone else: giggle giggle.

Lavs: That's how babies get made.

Liam: How DO babies get made?

Lavs: You'll have to ask your mom.

RJ: Babies come out of girl's weiners!

Everyone: Harharhar!

Lavs: Um, girls don't have weiners...

Liam: It's called the CROTCH.

Mikey: I have a weiner!

Everyone: weiner! weiner! weiner!

What a Talented Daughter I Have!

Pia designed this beautiful blanket for a "Vampire" theme knitting book. Wow, I am beyond impressed. It's not only beautiful, but she hasn't been seriously knitting for that long. Nice work, P! Next time, demand money!

Happy Autumn!

Mikey saw a big pile of leaves today, and he had to jump in! Leaf angels didn't work so well though.

AGY Retreat '09

For the 2nd year, I LEFT MY HOUSE for a whole weekend! The big occasion? A Grand Yarn's annual knitting retreat at lovely Camp Lutherhaven on Lake Coeur d'Alene. It is two days of knitting, eating, knitting, drinking, knitting, laughing, knitting and more knitting. Heaven!

The ladies checking out the 'camp store' (yarn and such rather than soda pop and t-shirts)

Melanie and Karen were our table-buddies. Both fabulous knitters and great people to spend the weekend with. Everyone got an orange box with fun goodies inside, plus each person won a bag of yarn and a knitting book!

The gang looks super-focused on their knitting. That's Deborah in the rocking chair; she made 2 hats during the retreat. Susan's pal Pat is on the right in the pink sweater. She is lots of fun to share a cabin with -- she and Susna were total goofballs all weekend :-)

Pat and Susan sharing a laugh. Sorry the pic isn't better, but you know who was the photographer.

I got Allie's sweater almost finished, made good progress on my Monkey socks, tried to control my desire to eat everything in sight (I would say I was semi-successful), and didn't buy any yarn! But I sure wanted to.

I love the women who attend this retreat, they are all so nice, funny, great knitters, and just fun to be around. They yelled at me for being too shy to come to the sweater knit-along, and made me promise to attend the next one. I promised to try to overcome my neurosis...

Punkins!

Cara and Katie helped the boys carve their (many) Halloween pumpkins. Must say this is my LEAST fave holiday activity. No one wants to get their hands all covered with pumpkin goop. But it was definitely a lot more fun with the girls there to lend a hand. And it probably saved a trip to the ER to reattach a child's severed finger :-O

In no particular order:

Cara and I visited Katie's office, where she was dolled up as a member of "The Biohazards" 80s rock band. She was rockin' the look!

My fave pumpkin, Katie's "Barfing Pumpkin". Rad.

Our little family of pumpkins. I also like my 'cynical' pumpkin over there on the left. He has that 'who gives a shit' look on his face.

Liam scooping out the ginormous pumpkin.

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RJ handling the knife with ease (he had all the 'special pumpkin carving tools' stashed in his bedroom, so they wouldn't get lost before the big event. Thanks RJ!)

Katie is carving her fancy ghost pumpkin. Mikey stifles a yawn, he wants to see some blood and gore. Be a sport, Katie, and let that knife slip.

Here's a Lavs special carving job for Mikey. I don't get fancy, just your basic triangles and a tooth.

Mikey explaining the expression he wants on his pumpkin. Sorry, Mike, pumpkins don't have lower lips that pout.

Cara and Mikey working on a masterpiece.