What five decisions are you most proud of?  I was browsing blogs at work this morning (as you do) when I came across schmutzie and this was her question (which she got from someone else).  I like reading her blog.  It's about real life and she's a good writer and a crocheter and an all around interesting person.  I was having a hard time thinking of five actual decisions I've made since it seems like I often just let things happen, which is a decision all its own.

-marrying Peter Kevin
-having children
-blogging
-teaching myself to knit
-becoming a social worker

Marrying Peter Kevin.  This decision has led to the best parts of my life.  I have known such joy and contentment in my life and he is the best part of it.  When we got married, it was despite opposition from my parents and that relationship never recovered.  It changed the way we lived our lives and made us determined to prove my dad wrong and to have a good life.  I think we have succeeded so far.

Having children.  I'm not sure this was a decision or something we just assumed we'd do.  Luckily for us, nature cooperated and we were able to have the family we wanted.  My children are the absolute best.  They are bright and funny and beautiful and just lovely to be around. They are the best parts of us.

Blogging.  This may seem like an odd thing to think of as a good decision but for me, it has proven to open up my life and let a whole crew of interesting, creative, giving, wonderful folks in.  You all have enriched my life in ways I can't even name. 

Teaching myself to knit.  This was one of the best decisions I've ever made.  It has given my inner creative spirit an outlet and also led to connections with people all over the world.  It's also become a hobby that I can share with my girls and even peripherally with my husband.

Becoming a social worker.  This job, while often having the capacity to tear the heart right out of my chest, allows me to nurture, encourage, counsel and generally help people.  I am one of those people who needs to do this so being a social worker gives me a way to fulfill a need in myself and get paid for it.


There are probably other decisions I've made that were good ones (and I am absolutely sure there are an equal number of bad ones) but these were the ones that came to mind.  It's amazing how often I allow things to just happen.  I'm not usually a passive person when something's important but I am certainly a 'don't sweat the small stuff' kind of person.  And I absolutely believe things work out for the best in the end. 

So, what do you think are your best decisions?

You know that Pk and I work really hard every day, right?  That's why we have time to email each other.  He found this today and I had to share.

http://blogs.cdc.gov/publichealthmatters/2011/05/preparedness-101-zombie-apocalypse/

This is a real CDC (Centers for Disease Control) website.  The beauty of it is that it will make folks pay attention to a possibly real threat by using the zombies (not that zombies aren't real)

Here it is Monday morning already.  Last week went by so quickly.  I felt so tired all week.  I know I worked and I know I cooked dinner and I think there was some light knitting done but really, not much else.

Today, I am surprisingly awake.  I say surprisingly since I had a bit of insomnia last night and remember looking at the (new) alarm clock repeatedly during the night and the time seemed to be moving along slowly.  And then this funny little melody started playing.  We needed a new alarm clock since the radio on ours had just about died and the morning news on national public radio is where we get the majority of our news and information.  We were looking for a while to find one with dual alarms.  Pk's alarm goes off at 5 and it's always been a buzzing noise.  Now it's a delicate beepbeepbeep.  He's always been alarm A.  I've always been alarm B and it's always been the radio. 

Our new clock has different settings and Alarm A has a radio and B does not.  So, I have to play around with it and make Pk alarm B and me Alarm A.  And I have to see if the beepbeepbeep has a volume.  It needs to be louder.

I managed to finish the first pair of holiday socks last night.  I'm halfway through the second pair and the third pair is started.  The fourth pair is still in the planning stages.  All socks all the time until they're done.  I've spoiled my family into expecting new socks for Christmas.  It's completely doable as long as I remain focused.

I started a scarf from the Estonian Lace book.  It's the Rhaina (sp?) scarf.  It's thin and is only one pattern repeat across.  They used a cashmere/quivit blend.  Way too rich for me so I am using the loosely spun and luxuriously soft alpaca I bought at the GS sheep show.  It's not great for perfect stitch definition but the pattern shows and it's coming along nicely.  I worked on it a bit yesterday. 

Our weather was horrendous over the weekend.  Humid air and temps in the 80's.  If you sat still and had the fan on, it was cool.  But one movement and the sweat just broke out all over.  And not delicate lady perspiration.  Lumberjack sweat.  We got up and went to the gym on Saturday and then ran some errands and did the grocery shopping and that was about it for the day.  Pk put some kabobs on the grill and we tried not to move too much.

Yesterday was such a lazy day.  Laundry and napping was about it for the day. I made a pot of chicken and dumplings for dinner.  It was wonderful and filling.  Comfort food. 

My knitting group has grown to 7 people.  I went and got some new supplies Friday night.  I bought some crochet hooks, a few knitting needles and some nice soft yarn to start with.  I also bought a few small counted cross stitch for the few women who mentioned they wanted to learn.  We have a variety of projects going, a baby layette, a ruffled scarf, a freeform scarf, a baby blanket and of course some socks.  I have a woman who wants me to teach her to make socks.  I told her what to buy and we'll try this week.   I'm just pleased there are folks who show up.

And now, I'm sitting at my desk, playing Words with Friends with Bells (she is once again kicking my ass), getting ready to start my Monday morning.  I have to go get the charts and get ready for the start of the clinic.  We're in for more rain and grey skies for at least the next two days.  People will be cancelling left and right since no one likes to come out in the rain. Or the snow.  Or the cold.  Or the heat. 

Have a good week everyone.  I hope fall (spring) is treating you well. 

Fall starts this week according to the calendar (and based on the earth's rotation and position of the sun, etc) on Friday the 23rd.  I could tell even if I didn't have a calendar in front of me.  It was 49 degrees this morning (9 C) and I needed a jacket to go to work.  The sun is definitely lower in the sky and the nights are cool enough to need a blanket.

It's also Elanor's birthday tomorrow.  She'll be 28.  I remember the day so well.  I sent Pk off to work in the morning at 7, like always.  We were living in southern Maryland at the time, miles away from everything. 

I called him an hour later and told him I was in labor (it was a few days overdue) and he came right home.   Fourteen hours later, (after countless games of UNO during which Pk took total advantage of me and cheated) they pulled Elanor from my body, all 8 pounds 9 1/2 ounces of her, with forceps.  The doctor was tired of waiting.  She had good strong lungs (I could hear her all the way down the hall) and was the largest baby in the place at the time. 

She was strong and determined and let us know when she was happy and when she wasn't.  Curiously, she seemed happier undressed and Pk could always tell what kind of day we'd had by the amount of clothing she was wearing at the end of the day. 

She continues to be bright and funny and adorable.  And looks so much like her father that it looks like he was cloned and I had very little to do with her creation. 

Happiest of Happy Birthdays, Elanor!  You are still one of the lights of our lives.

I am fighting off a sinus infection and spent the weekend sleeping.  Literally.  All weekend.  I got up Saturday morning, took a shower, put a load of clothes in the washer and then fell asleep in the chair until close to 4.  At that point, I put some dinner on the stove, ate, and went to sleep.  Sunday was a repeat with just a bit less sleep.  Today, I'm hoping to stay awake until lunch time.  If I'm struggling, I'll go home early.  Monday is my busiest day so I'm going to try to stay and finish out the day but we'll see.

 I got a summons for federal jury duty in October.  5 week trial if I'm chosen.  Mon-Thurs.  I am hoping I won't be chosen but that's out of my hands.  I've sat on a murder trial before and I can tell you, they are not nearly as exciting as television would lead you to believe.  And I'm not sure I can bring anything to do.  I'm going to bring an old pair of bamboo needles and a small skein of yarn.  That way if they confiscate it, I won't miss it.

Time to go find my charts and check the messages and generally start the day.  What I'd really like is to take a nap......

Let me introduce you to my In Dreams shawl.  The color is more like the top photo.  It's a coppery color with beads that pick up the light and shimmer.

The yarn is an alpaca/silk blend laceweight (sienna) from WEBS and the beads are size 8 triangular gold/cranberry. 
                                                                                                                                                                            

I started this in the middle of February as part of a Lord of the Rings (Two Towers) kal.  It went well in the beginning, at least for the first few clues but then there was a problem and suddenly I couldn't count and my stitch count was off and I put it away for the months of June and July.

Sometime in August, (when it was hot and miserable), I picked it back up and decided to rip out the section that I was having trouble with and to start the last two and a half clues over.  I put in a life line and started again. 

And this time, we worked well together.  As the rows grew longer, I could see the pattern developing and was getting excited.  And then I could see the end and worked as often as I could so I could finally get it off the needles.

It has weight to it and is warm and soft.  The beads pick up the light and reflect it so it looks like bits of stars caught in the yarn. 

I'm a little lost now that it's done.  I'm not sure what to do with myself!  I have some small things for the holidays that I am working on but no large project on the needles.  I have the Ancient Woodlands shawl pattern that I loved waiting in the wings so maybe that will be next.  And maybe some spinning.  It's been woefully neglected.

I got the last shipment of the Tea and Yarn from the Unique Sheep today.  It's a 4 skein gradience made of cotton and bamboo and I'm not quite sure what to do with it.  There's just over 400 yds and it's greens into purples.  Pk likes it but I told him it wouldn't make good socks.  Maybe a lightweight scarf for him for the fall.  I'm not quite sure and I'll have to spend some time looking.  Anybody have a thought?

There were 7 people in the knitting group today, although most of them were crocheting.  Everyone seems afraid of the "two needles" (and I wasn't even knitting socks with 4 needles today) and wanted to try the hook.  It's going well.  One woman is working on a knitted scarf and she's playing with the stitches, some rows are knitted and some are purled and some are garter.  It's all very random and she loves it.  I'm making a scarf for me (the yarn harlot's one row) out of the cream colored alpaca for the winter.  It's so soft.  I need to remember not to knit with it when I'm wearing black pants, though.

Otherwise, things are quiet here.  And suddenly cold.  It was warm and very humid this morning.  And now, 12 hours later, I'm wearing sweat pants and socks and sitting under a blanket.  I know it's not really that cold (and my hands and feet are always cold) but it's the suddenness of it.  We're looking at a cool day tomorrow.  It's very welcome.

Before I say anything else, I have to acknowledge that today is Sept 11.  aka Patriot's Day here in the US. It's the tenth anniversary of the attacks on the WTC and the Pentagon.  I have tried to avoid the hype leading up to this day all week.  I just can't stand to hear it over and over.  Now that the day is here, I find myself feeling choked up at odd times as I remember that day and how it felt and the awful weeks afterwards.  It was an event that changed our lives forever.  Some freedoms we took for granted have been eroded and our sense of safety has likewise been deminished. 

But, as someone who lived through it said, we can choose to dwell in the past or move forward.  I choose to move forward and to try to learn something from the experience.

This was a productive weekend for us.  We kept our promise to ourselves to go to the gym twice this week by going Saturday morning.  Pk did his regular workout and I took the aqua fit class.  It was an hour of nonstop movement and last night I felt everysinglemuscle in my body as they all cried out every time I moved.  At least I know all the jumping around was working!  Why is exercise done in the pool more fun?  And how is it that I can sweat when I'm working out in water? 

Today Pk, Kate and I went to the sheep show.  The weather was not promising but there was only a 40% chance of rain so we opted to chance it.  We dressed for mud and were glad we did.  The show is in a field (as these things are) and it's been raining quite a bit lately. 



Jacob sheep



angora goat



The first two barns were animals.  We saw angora goats, alpacas, llamas (which were taller than I am which is a bit disconcerting), Jacob's sheep, lots of rabbits and a pony. 



Kate made friends with a bunny.  I had to remind her she lives in a small apartment with fish and frogs and a large dog.  Kobold would love the bunny, probably love it to death.  I will admit, it was like petting a cloud with eyes.

There was one little alpaca guy who was feeling anxious.  He was humming and humming. 

The weather was humid but the rain stayed away so we went outside to watch a demonstration of a border collie herding a small flock of flightless ducks. 

The dogs were determined to get the ducks to stay together and to jump through hoops (literally) but the ducks kept trying to escape. 

Dogs herding ducks

Ducks making a break for it



Dogs herding them back



 They were hilarious.  In the end, the dogs got the ducks back into their crate.

And what did I buy today, I hear you wonder.  Well, I bought some alpaca.  Some grey mill spun and some white handspun which is soft and lovely.  I want to make a beret style hat for myself to wear with my red coat this winter. 

And I bought Bruce.    He's a alpaca with flair.  He will have a place of honor on the Christmas tree in December but for now, Elanor wants him to live on the cd player so that's where he'll be.  Some stitch markers might have fallen into my bag as well.  They're stone hearts and just seemed to want to be mine (and some connectors for my knitpicks interchangeables but those aren't photogenic). 

We had a nice time.  Of course Mother Nature chose today to remind me I'm a woman (acutally, she chose overnight when I wasn't prepared and was sleeping on white sheets) and I was feeling less than optimal.  Nothing some yarn fumes and advil couldn't cure.

On the way home, we passed the Sculpture Garden of Faces.  We didn't go and explore, we'll save that for another day.  These two faces were hanging out on the side of the road. 

 

It's almost dinner time and I have only 4 rows left on my beaded shawl.  It won't get finished tonight but I'll come close.  Maybe this week will see it completed and blocked.   Now that it's almost done, I am feelling the excitement that I lost somewhere in the middle. 

 

I hope you all had a good weekend and have a safe and pleasant week! 

We are patting ourselves on our very humble backs this morning since we got up on our day off and WENT TO THE GYM.  Yep.  We had no real expectations as to how well we would do and lots of expectations on how sore our muscles would be (sitting still for any length of time would be a bad thing today).  And it was pouring rain as we got ready to walk out the door but we went. 

It is our intention that this is the first of two visits this week and there will be two visits next week and then the following week, we'll work up to 3 visits a week.  We have a PLAN and hopefully will stick to it this time.  I managed to do 15 minutes and almost a mile on the eliptical machine and some abdominal exercises, thigh muscle workout and some shoulder exercises.  Enough for one day. 

We did so well for the first 10 months or so last year, up until November.  For some reason, we stopped and then sporadically made attempts to restart.  Our gym bags sat in the car most of the spring and summer but that did not spur us to actually carry them into the gym and use them. 

What was different today?  I realized over the weekend that I need to wear my 'fat jeans' and I don't like that.  Most of my clothes still fit but jeans are not very forgiving.  I don't want to wear the fat jeans, I want to wear the less fat jeans (I don't have skinny jeans, not having been skinny since I got married and had kids).  Pk's work pants are tight and he's uncomfortable and neither of us is willing to move up another size.  As I sit here and feel my muscles stiffening up, I remember what one of my coworkers said "it's good pain"  (as if there is such a thing).  I'll just keep moving around every few minutes and that should help.

One other good thing about going to the gym is that I eat less.  I spend all that time working my muscles and don't want to eat crap. We were going to come home and have some sausage and gravy and biscuits but chose instead to have sandwiches and some soup for dinner. 

It's an ugly day today.  It's cool and as I said, rainy.  I'm going to knit (and get up at the end of every row and take a turn around the room!) and enjoy my last day of the long weekend.  I got A Game of Thrones (George RR Martin) for my mp3 player and I want to listen to it today.  Em liked it but told me everyone dies so I'm prepared. 

And we've watched the first 8 episodes of House.  He's a 'right bastard' isn't he?  But I can' t decide if he's one of those people who cares down deep or is it all about him?  I hope they allow the character to grow or else it would get pretty boring and probably wouldn't have sustained itself for 8 seasons.  We have one more disc to go and we'll watch it tonight and then make a decision about the rest. 

Em has found Dr. Who.  Except she found Matt Smith whom I cannot embrace.  He's ok and maybe he'll grow on me but I'm having a hard time.  She loves him ("it's the hair").  We had such a nice picnic on Saturday.  We watched some barges get pushed by tugboats and some container ships move down the river and of couse, the planes travelling into and out of the airport.  There were sandwiches and some homemade cole slaw and cookies and chips.  And laughter and stories and fun.  I have a nice family and I really do appreciate that fact. 

Next weekend is the Garden State Sheep Breeders Show here in NJ (the Garden State).  We're planning on going on Sunday since that's when Kate can get off from work.  It's not nearly as big as MDSW or Rhinebeck but it showcases local sheep and wool and yarn.  I like to see what's local and support our local folks.  And Pk is excited because there will be alpacas.  He and Kate continue to (not so) secretly  plot to bring some home and have a small herd in the back yard.  I think our town has some sort of exotic pets ordinance.

It's supposed to be cool and rainy all week and then sunny over the weekend so the show will be muddy but clear.  I have boots, I can deal.  And it's back to work tomorrow but it's only a 3 day week.  I could get so used to this 4 day weekend deal.  But I want to get paid the same......

Welcome to Labor Day Weekend here in the US.  Started as a way to honor the working man/woman, it's become a day to have one of these.  Or to spend one last weekend sunning on the beach.  It's our unofficial end of summer although the calendar will tell you otherwise. 

The weather is supposed to be iffy, with thundershowers predicted on Saturday night and maybe into Sunday/Monday.  It would make it hard to refresh the tan.  I wouldn't go near the beach this weekend if you paid me.  It will be crowded and I hate that.  The irony is that the weather is darn near perfect at the shore this time of year. 

We are planning a picnic on Saturday.  On Wed nite, Pk said "how about a picnic this weekend?" and through the magic of texting, we had contacted everyone and made plans for Saturday afternoon within an hour.  He wanted to have fried chicken and potato salad but I objected to spending all morning tomorrow in the kitchen.  We're taking lunch meat and cheese and rolls and condiments and drinks.  Em is making desert and Kate is bringing chips/munchies.  It's easy and everyone can make their own sandwiches.  No standing over hot oil and frying bacon. 

Other than that, our weekend is free and clear.  We took Tuesday off as well so no work for us until Wednesday morning (I still won't be ready to go back!)

Today on our way home from work, we stopped in Haddonfield to walk around and were going to see about dinner outside at a cafe but it was too early and Pk seemed to be having some kind of allergic itching reaction to something so we came home.  While we were there we saw this sign.  It's outside the Grace Episcopal church in Haddonfield, an old stone church (I should have taken a photo of the church).  We thought it was interesting that it said guests expected.  We wondered if they enforced that before services.  "Pardon me, where is your guest?  Don't have one?  Then out you go". 

Haddonfield has lots of interesting (expensive) shops.  It's fun to window shop but deadly for the wallet to walk into the stores.  The best store is the Happy Hippo which is a toy store crammed with new and old toys both.  Lots of fun things to play with.  Which of course we did.

Now, it's getting onto dinner time and we're heading out for a Friday night pizza with my brother and his family.  They're packing for a trip to DisneyWorld so the kids should be in rare form.  Pk's been craving pepperoni so pepperoni it will be.  And extra cheese and wings and french fries.  All calorie free and good for you.

I plan to knit on the shawl this weekend and keep working on the holiday socks.  It's almost become a tradition that everyone gets new socks for Christmas and I have to start now.  I have three pairs otn and one pair planned so I'm making some progress.

Other than that?  Nothing much.  We'll eat and sleep and eat and sleep and be lazy and just enjoy each other's company.  Oh, and watch House.  We've never seen it and the first three discs are on their way to our house as we speak. 

I hope whatever your plans for the weekend are, you have an enjoyably lazy and comfortable one filled with laughter (very important) and good company.