It's The Little Things

That make life easier!  We've been trying to cut bread, bagels, etc with the world's worst knife (I think it cost 2 bucks at the grocery store).  Pia stepped up and bought this green bread knife from "The Pampered Chef" and it's great!  Cuts through bread like nobody's business.  And chances are I won't end up back in the ER with my finger sliced off from trying to cut a bagel with world's dullest knife.

A Date With Peeps

Pia and I spent the day together, which rarely happens as she is always on the go.

We went to the County Fair in cute little Rockford, where she had a bunch of her photos entered in the photography competition, and she also entered my Harry Potter Illusion Scarf in the knitting category.  Pia earned a blue ribbon and a bunch of 2nd and 3rd places (though I thought she should have gotten grand prize for all of her pix).  Poor Harry Potter was all crumpled in a pile, where it pretty much looked like the knitting project from a preschooler.  I did get a red ribbon.  :-(

We wandered around the fair (which takes about 5 minutes -- 10 minutes if you visit the museum), then I made her stop at this estate sale on the way back into town.  She was creeped out by the mannequin they had out front, but good sport Pia stopped anyway.  We tried on old lady hats, which was lots of fun, then headed over to Paradise Fibers so I could spend the gift certificate they gave me for working in their booth at the 'big' fair.  She got yarn and a pattern to knit a baby blanket for her friend (one of THREE, she just found out she's having triplets!) and I got this cute kit for "Accordion Mittens":

Maybe I will not have to wear Dollar Store stretch gloves this winter!

We ended up at FroYo, where we had yummy frozen yogurt with toppings.  She thinks my topping choice was weird: strawberries and Butterfinger crumbs.  I liked it.

Thanks P, for an awesome day out with my oldest daughter!

My Favorite Show!

Thank goodness, the fall TV season has arrived with new episodes of "Modern Family"!  I heart this show beyond all belief.  It has even made me love Ed O'Neill, after years of hate for his starring role in "Married With Children" (my most hated all-time TV show)

Last night's episode was maybe the best yet!  From Mitchell and Cam's project to build baby Lily a Princess Castle (Cam: "Every home improvement project that we've undertaken has been a near-death experience. If an accident does happen I hope he kills me, because I don't think I would be a very inspiring disabled person.")  to the Dunphy family's nostalgic trip in the old family station wagon (I about lost it when Luke got all happy remembering his "buckety"), to Manny's dinner jacket, it was non-stop funny.

PASS!

I just had my final appointment with the orthopedist, and he pronounced me healed!  I have lots of lovely new bone in my arm, which is happy news.  Of course, I'm still looking at months of physical therapy and exercise to regain my range of motion and strength, but at least I have a healthy humerus!

Baby Surprise Project!

A certain girl we love is expecting a wee one round about Turkey Day.  Which means Auntie Lowdie needs to get the needles clicking.  Here's a sneak peek at what I've gotten finished so far.  Hope you are into MONKEYS...

Welcome Miss Brooklyn Kelley!

Oh how cute!  Here's our nephew/cousin Sean, the proud new papa, with baby girl Brooklyn.  Welcome to the All Girl Cousin Gang, Brooklyn!

Meg and Ry had better be incubating a boy, bc this all girl thing is getting pretty crazy. I think we are currently at 6 girls/0 boys.

Mike The Creature from the Black Lagoon

Mikey was SO excited to get his new goggles & hand things to wear swimming!  He tried them on right away (sorry for the bad cell pic, but you should know better than to expect a good picture).  That's Jon laying on the floor next to him, perhaps he was overcome by our little monster.  Mike wore them in the bathtub, and is planning to frighten everyone at his swim lesson this afternoon.  Yay for thrift store finds!

Latest Knitting Projects

Are both 'top secret' :-)  I'm working on:

1. a sample sweater for Y2Knit.

2. a pair of socks I designed for Three Irish Girls.

The socks are nearly done, and the pattern will be available sometime soon.  I'll blog about it when it's a go.  The sweater is awaiting the final instructions for the yoke from the designer.

Soon, I'll be back to knitting my own projects. I have a few lined up (well more than a few!) so I'm eager to get these done.

Our Next Pet

Katie and I (and maybe Pia, too? I never heard her reaction) totes fell for the cows at the fair.  How can you not love a cow, I ask you?  Nothing to hate there.

Of course, being city gals, we're not really 'set up' for a cow pasture.  So the answer is: THE MINIATURE COW.  Perfect!  And Lucy Lou will have a little pal to run around with in the back yard.

Maybe Jon will build us a sod 'cow fort'.

Chicken Run

The three chickens (Little Honey, Grizelda and Sprints) are living the good life in the P's back yard...for now.  They flew into the neighbor's yard last week and evidently she doesn't like chickens.  She called the county chicken Nazis, and we are expecting a visit from the Chicken Gestapo any time...

Meanwhile, they are laying eggs pretty regularly, and Mike's favorite breakfast is now fresh scrambled eggs.  It's an exciting morning when we crack open a double yolker!

So when I went to the fair yesterday, I had to snap some pix in the chicken barn:

These are good looking birds, but they don't hold a candle to our girls.

This morning, Lucy and I (I'm babysitting this weekend) met Lorraine, Alex and Liam at "Chickenpalooza" a little fair about urban chicken-ing.  Here's Al hanging with the chicks:

Our visit was cut a wee bit short when Lucy Lou tried to kill a service dog.  She doesn't mind her grammy very well.  And now my broken arm is ripped out of the socket from her lunging on the leash.  But it was fun anyways.

We Heart Goggles

The boys and I have been swimming at the Y quite a bit.  And EVERY DAMN TIME we go, there is a big to-do over goggles.  Either they can't find them, they can't put them on, they can't stop hitting each other over who gets to wear them, and on and on.

A couple of days ago, I took them to Big 5 (their second fave store after Cabela's) and Liam spent the twenty bucks he found on the street (another long-running drama of losing, finding, hiding, swiping, etc).  I tried to talk him into the really nice Nike goggles they had on sale for $5.00.  But no, he was dazzled by the cheesy 5 piece set with goggles, a mask, snorkel and I forget what else (probably a spear and a knife lol). And when I was at the thrift store today I found this set (sorry the pic is not great).  It's a Creature From the Black Lagoon mask with goggles plus hand 'flippers'. 

Oh, Mike P. is going to HEART this.  I'm sure he's wanted this his "whole life" (his latest expression when he wants something).  :-)

The Destroyer

Lucy is one lucky pup, her mama brings home toys for her on a regular basis.  Which Loofy usually destroys in a matter of hours, if not minutes. 

Here's her birthday present (left), "Sheepy" apparently screaming in pain after having her insides (including her squeaker) ripped out.  On the right is all that remains of Lucy's #1 fave "Joan".  Notice that Joanie no longer has a lower body.  That grimace on her face may be because she is missing from the stomach on down.  But Luce remains loyal to Joan, she's still her 'go-to' toy.

Here's "Joan II", which Katie bought, fearing that Joan I might not make it.  Lucy disdains J II, who retains her whole body and stuffing.  JOAN I 4EVER is Lucy's motto.

BTW, does anyone else in the world give nicknames to their DOG TOYS?  Those crazy Longinottis, they'll nickname anything that wanders into their sphere of influence.

How Cute is This!?

I HAD to order "Best in Show: Knit your own Dog" even though I had to order from Amazon UK (it's not available in the US yet, evidently)  I foresee some puppy knitting in my future (and since grand-dog Lucy Lou just eviscerated "Sheepy", the squeaky sheep toy I gave her for her birthday, maybe she will get "Puppers" for Christmas.  Though I'm thinking these little guys may be way too cute to allow chewing up).

My Final Request

...to be buried in a Woolen Coffin.

"The Swaledale casket is made using pure virgin wool, supported on a strong recycled fibreboard frame. Wool is a fiber with a true "green" lineage that is both sustainable and biodegradable. The interior is generously lined with cotton and attractively edged in jute.
Independently tested and accredited for strength and weight bearing, the Swaledale's unique design combines the highest environmental standards with an attractive and soft feel. Designed to differ from the traditional wooden casket, it offers a contemporary style with comfortable handling. The concept is completed with a personalized embroidered woolen name plate. All the materials used in the Swaledale casket are readily biodegradable and suitable for cremation and all types of burial."

I don't think it's actually knitted, but may be the closest thing.  Actually, I'd really just like to be wrapped in a blanket and buried in a "green cemetery" but a nice bit of wool wouldn't hurt my feelings at all.  I'll try to knit a shroud before I kick the bucket so that no survivor has to knit on on #50 needles using 8 strands of Wool Ease Thick n Quick. :-)

The Road Trip to End All Road Trips

Katie & I were watching "Glee" last night, and I started laughing when Sue Sylvester claimed to have hung out at Studio 54 with Truman Capote and the puppet "Madam".  Katie wasn't familiar with the ever fabulous Madam, so she looked her up:

That, in turn, led us to plan the perfect storm of a road trip!  I agreed to visit the horribly frightening Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, GA, but insisted that Katie had to visit TWO of my choices in exchange (after all, puppets are the most frightening things in this world).

So...our road trip will commence in Bellevue, WA with a visit to

We'll then fly to Atlanta for the Puppet Museum,

Then finish up our trip in Fredericksburg, VA, where we will visit

Civil War Life - The Soldier's Museum

 This museum is located in a strip mall in F-burg, tucked in between a convenience store and a Bob Evans.

 

Holla!  Pack your bags Katie!  The road is calling...

Farewell, Summer

Labor Day, you caught me by surprise.  I wasn't ready for summer to be over.

The summer of 2010 wasn't one of my best, due to the broken arm on June 1st.  The boys and I had lots of summer plans, which we didn't get to do:

• Dig fossils at the Stonerose site in Republic
• Go rollerskating
• Spend days at the lake and/or the river
• work in my garden
• have ice cream at the Milk Bottle
• hang out at the Comstock pool
• take Lucy for lots of adventures 
• go hiking

I did learn to appreciate having the use of two arms (still a work in progress), and to be grateful for the nursing care of Katie, Pia and Steve.  I learned to love my ghetto recliner, and to be very happy when I was able to sleep in my bed (still a little difficult).  I learned to use a mouse with my right hand, to remove ALL cables and cords from areas where I might be walking, and to keep myself occupied on all those nights when I couldn't sleep.  I learned that you should taper off hydrocodone gradually (otherwise you get terrible insomnia and other not very nice side effects).  I learned that watching TV without knitting is incredibly boring.  I became a "Mad Men" addict, a dance show enthusiast, a lover of just about anything that was on at 2:30 am.  I learned it is just about impossible to put a bra on with just one working arm (try it, you'll see!). 

Most of all, I learned that eventually you DO get better, and that time DOES pass, even though on June 1st, I couldn't imagine a time that I'd be (mostly) pain-free and mobile.

Here's to a better autumn 2010!

Pig Out!

It's time again for Spokane's classy eat-o-rama, "Pig Out in the Park".  Not for us the "Bite of..." pretentiousness; we call it like it IS. 

Katie & I went there for dinner last night.  We decided on Mexican, and she had some delish tamales while I went with Asada tacos.  Plus beer in the Beer Garden (where I had to show ID for the first time in at least 30 years).  We topped it off with ice cream cones from the Milk Bottle booth, and meandering through what must have been the worst 'arts and crafts' fair in the history of arts & crafts.  I'm pretty sure all the booths were run by Gypsies (no offense, Gypsies, if you happen to be truly arty), and were of the Henna Tattoos, Palm Reading, Tie-Die everything variety.  A real Craptacular show.

Buh-Bye Peach!

Rats!  My fave Peach got auf-ed from Project Runway last night.  I KNOW, she's not a super-trendy designer, but I liked her work (except for last night's monstrosity) and I thought she was a great gal.  I'm afraid that workroom is going to go right down the toilet with serious cutting on Michael C. from the uber-beyotches Ivy and Gretchen.  Stay tuned!  Things are gonna get ugly...

The School Report

1. Alex lost his brand new glasses.  May be a new speed record (it wasn't really his fault though. He carefully put them in the case and set them in a safe spot while he played kickball.  Some goon picked them up and took them.  Who wants someone else's glasses?!)

2. Liam says the one classmate he knows is "the most annoying girl in the world".  She will prolly try to be his girlfriend lol. 

3. Despite rumor that she is "the meanest teacher in the whole school", Al says his teacher is really nice.  Liam reports that "our teacher does not yell at us".  It's only day one, Liam's teacher...

4. Riveria ditched his mom and me to hang out with a friend as soon as we got to school this morning.  Fifth graders are way too cool for dorky adults.  He loves his teacher, who let him stay after to help her.  Bliss.

5. Mike was full of news about day one of kindergarten: you get THREE recesses.  He did the monkey bars twice, the only one in his class who could cross the bars twice!  He didn't pee or poop at school (no way was he using the bathroom at school).  He didn't finish his lunch, though his explanation was a bit suspect -- something about getting kicked out of the lunchroom before he was finished (which doesn't happen).  He claimed the girl who sits next to him was mean, and climbed in and out of the window, and bonked him on the head, so he needs a helmet for school.  He brought home lots of papers for Mom, and was very careful about putting them in his backpack so they would not get ripped.  You have to wear sneakers for gym or ELSE.  He got a happy face on his daily calendar = great day!  He is ok with going back tomorrow :-)

Another Reason Today Is Special

It's 9/02/10, so let's celebrate everyone's favorite '90's show!  What's your "Beverly Hills 90210" memory?

I didn't watch too many eps of the show myself, but a friend I worked with absolutely worshipped it.  She worked in Collections and had to have an alias for a last name.  She chose "Lynette Dylan" as her fake collections name.  LOL.

First Day of School!

Our school district starts classes today.  Boy the summer has gone by quickly...and I accomplished NOTHING due to the June 1st mishap.  Oh, well.

Our 'baby' Mike (he does NOT want to be called 'Mikey' at school) starts kindergarten today!  I cannot believe it, wasn't it just yesterday he was riding in a sling, firmly attached to his mom?  He was very excited, woke up about a million times last night and was all dressed and ready to go when I arrived at 6:15 am.  All the boys were chipper and headed out with backpacks weighing about 40 lbs (you have to provide a LOT of school supplies nowadays).  Mom and I peeked in Mike's classroom window after they all went in, and he was carefully observing his classmates, then doing what they did :-)  He is a little concerned that his desk is ALL GIRLS, but I think he'll be fine.

The Gang all ready to head out (for some reason Mike insisted on wearing the Power Rangers mask for pictures)

Trudging up the hill to school.

It's all fun and games until you have to get in line for class -- the line of kindergartners was DEAD SERIOUS, so funny!