GOOD NEWS!!!

Well, I hope I have good news. We are under contract with our house. That is selling the old house. Someone wants to buy it, "as is". Which is good news for me, b/c I am lazy and don't want to paint and clean, or at least not clean real hard! We are suppose to close in two weeks. Which means that I have tons to do. Unload a house, complete, save and print report cards, spend as much time with my sister and her two sweet babies before they leave, go to soccer game, and get ready for halloween!! Biut I think it is do-able, maybe! I might need to go on a vacation afterwards! I am also trying to knit all my little kiddos in kindergarten a scarf for christmas. I have 19 kids, and I have completed three, and about halfway through number four. So, well on my way. I didn't tell them, so then if I don't finish, they won't know. But, I am really gonna try to finish. We have 5 days at Thanksgiving, so I should be able to crank some out then. Had a wonderful time last weekend with friends and family at our annual Mullet Festival (52nd). It is a fish , not just a haircut. We celebate the fish. The parade was fun, and I got to see old friends. The weather was great! This is my sweet Lilly at the pumpkin patch!! What could be better??

Shreddin and Fishin

The summer is over and my children are still boating! That is Ward on the left and his right hand man, Jake. They both caught a 26 inch red drum! So proud. How nice it is to live in a town right on the water and have access to boats. My children are blessed. We are almost finished moving out of the house. The garage is still a mess and the attic, well, can I just say "yuck!" The painting will have to start next weekend, or at least that is what I am declaring. But of course, I won't be doing a ton of it, poor Rick, he will be doing most of it. Can't wait to sell that house. There will be a party!! School is going fine for now. We are getting a new Kindergarten teacher on Tues. Woo Hoo!! I look forward to having 18 kids. 21 is just too many. You should see us when we walk down the hall, the line goes on forever!! My sister and sweet babies are coming in a couple of weeks. They will be here for Halloween. We are dressing as Ladybugs. Can't wait. It will be fun to trick or treat with little kids again. My kids are too old, I guess I am going to have to rent kids to take trick or treating. New topic: Found some really cute stuff on this site http://averymarydesign.blogspot.com/ check out her store from her blog. Very cool one of a kind items. Of course I ordered some stuff. Couldn't resist.

New sweet smelling baby!

Well, it has been forever since I posted last. But a lot has happened. My sister had a new lovely, beautiful little girl. I was in Alabama for a week with her and her family. Had a wonderful time cooking for her and playing with her daughter Lilly. Took naps, ran, went to the movie, it was nice. We are in the process of moving to our new house. It is a bear! We lived in the same place for 10 years and I don't know how we accumulated so much crap, but we have. I have been throwing away stuff right and left. It is hard because this is the house that my children have grown up in. We moved there when my youngest was 2. So, there are a lot of memories and a lot of drawings and scrap paper and stuff that I have saved. It is hard knowing what to keep and what to throw away. I sometimes wish that my mom would have kept some of my toys, but really what for? We still have quite a lot of stuff in the house and haven't even attempted the attic, which is frightening! We are moving into a smaller house, no real giant attic to speak of, but that is ok. I have decided that it is time to have a grown-up house, and the view is wonderful. Right on the ICW in swansboro. I have eaten my breakfast on the porch two mornings in a row. I just wish I was Samantha from Bewitch and I could wiggle my nose and the house would be unpacked and the other house would be cleaned out and sold! The bad part is the timing, I have to go back to school tomorrow, so I will be having to do all this and get ready to welcome some wonderful Kindergarten children! YIKES!!! The Tylenol PM is calling my name! I am including a picture of sis and girls! So, thrilled to have a new baby!!

Reading instead of knitting

My son, Will had a birthday get together, I guess you can't call them parties when you turn 15. I still can't believe that he is 15. Too strange! Anyway, I survived having hordes of teenagers in my newly cleaned house on Thursday. I can't tell you how happy I was for 10:00 to arrive. I have knitted zero this week. Can't believe it! I have spent a little time cutting out squares for my quilt. But no sewing this week. What I have been spending a lot of time on is reading. I am reading the Kite Runner and it is good. I was afraid that I wasn't going to like it because it didn't grab me right at the beginning. I will admit, I look a good hook at the beginning of a story. But, I have stuck with it and I love it. I bought The Glass Castle to read next. I haven't read anything in such a long time, I guess because I have been busy knitting and I really don't know how to do both. Someone should invent something that could hold a book and turn the pages while I knit. Maybe a small child could hold my book. No, it would have to be something that would squirm. So, if there is anyone out there reading this that likes to invent, get busy. That's what I need. I am going to Alabama in 2 weeks to meet my new neice. I can't wait. She hasn't been born yet, but it should be soon. The picture is of my first neice, Lilly and me. She is a doll and I love her. Her sister will be named Lucy. Don't worry I will post a picture of her as soon as I get one. It is really neat to have neices when I have boys at my house, especially since mine are getting to big to cuddle.

Happy Fourth of July

Well, since my parents own a dry stack marina, I have been very busy since Saturday putting boats in the water and waiting on customers. So, very little knitting or quilting has been done all weekend. I was hoping for rain today just so I could be home and do nothing. Well, sewing and cutting quilt squares would be fun. This is about all the fun that has been going on around here lately, a really cool moth on my porch. Well, I have got to go get ready for work and then I guess we will watch the fireworks. My house is almost finished. Calling the plumber to install toilets, sinks and hot water heater, then all that is left is closet shelves. Or at least that is what I think! Then I am moving in!!! Watch out!

Scarf is done!

The scarf is done. Thank goodness. I worked at my parents marina on Sunday and it rained. I got two dishrags and the scarf finished . Ok, it is official, I have brought the old sewing maching out of my mother's attic. I have had a mini sewing lesson from my mother. I went to WalMart last night and bought fabric. Yes, I am going to make a patchwork quilt. I fear that I will be a little stressed out by this so I will keep my knitting close by in case I need to calm my nerves. I still want to make the cute watermelon hat that Stephanie (yarn harlot) made. My cousin Jill had a baby girl last night. I am so excited. Now I can get started on her little pink hat. She was 8 lbs 10 oz, no name yet, but I am sure her parents and her big sister Briley are thrilled!! Can't wait to meet her.

Dishrags, dishrags, dishrags!!

Ok, so I said I was going to post the messed up dishrag that turned out ok, and I have actually started another one that is the same. I am going to try to sit down and read and follow the instructions in Mason-Dixon for the cool dishrags, but between baseball and running and eating and sleeping, just haven't had a minute to read and study! Hopefully we will be moving in the next couple of weeks, so that will leave even less time for knitting, or so one would think. I plan on planting my big ol butt on my new front porch and knitting up a storm every evening. I bought a cool wicker chair the other day at a consignment store, paid a little more than I wanted to, but is perfect for knitting. The arms are low and it is a small chair and I just love it. I have moved it into my cramped living room and have been sitting in it watching red sox baseball and hockey. How about those Hurricanes!! It was an exciting game. Back to the house, I need to buy two white rockers and a porch swing. Those are the next purchases. I also need to buy two speakers for my ceiling. If we could just get toilets, sinks and hardware and maybe get the air connected, we will be golden! The purple scarf from the last post is still ON (on needles). I know I am so close to being finished, but I get bored easily. Seems to be a very common trend in knitters or so I have heard!

Boring...... But for a Good Cause

I know, it has been a while since I posted, but school is out tomorrow. So, that will free me up for more knitting!! YEAH!! This scarf is boring, I know, but it is for a good cause. My friend Dee Dee has two children with CF. They are 5 and 3. She is going to be selling some bears at a local festival in October and has asked me to knit some items as well so that she can sell them. So, this is number one. It is mindless and I don't have to think too much about it. Good thing because my mind has been on one thing lately, paperwork for school and getting finished. Two former students (they are in third grade) had a game day today. They came in my room around 1:30 and asked me to cast on for them, they forgot how. How great is that? Not that they forgot, but that they think of me as a knowledgeable person that could help. One girl brought her needles and yarn the other little girl forgot hers, so she was using pencils. That was a first for me, but I cast on for her. I told them both that I would bring my knitting bag tomorrow and they could come back and we would just knit up a storm! FUN! They were thrilled. So tomorrow it will be me, Rebecca and Hannah just having a big fun time at school knitting. Maybe I should as the legislature if knitting could be added to the curriculum?

Can you say i-cord??

Yes! I finished the baby hat! Shout out to Peggy who suggested the i-cord top. I agreed, but had never done one. You can imagine my hesitation since I had already ripped the hat out once, but Peggy walked me through it, and ta-da! I-CORD! Just love it. Peggy was right, it was magical when it worked out. New subject, I got my amazon order yesterday ( Mason-Dixon knitting and Wendy Knits). I am in love with the log cabin blanket in Mason-Dixon. I dreamed about it last night. Is that weird? I am pretty sure it is strange, but maybe not to someone who knits. I can't wait to make one. I love everything in that book. It has really inspired me. I have read some of Wendy Knits, but not much. I will let you know on that one. I have started a new baby hat. This one is for my new niece, Lucy. She will be here in 5 weeks. So, I do have time, but just wanted to start on it. Hopefully I will start the blanket soon and I will document my progress. Still aching to make a sock! Peggy? Do you hear me??

Channeling my inner Martha.

Ok, I have finished the green dishrag, and almost finished the hat. I will add picture later when it is complete. I have started a pink dishrag as well. I think I will give them to my sister b/c she is moving to a new house in Alabama. I want her to think of me while she is doing the dishes!! hee hee. I really want to learn to sew. I have lots of ideas bumping around in my brain and really don't want to read a pattern, just want to whip out the machine and do something. Like I am some sort of sewing Rain Man! I have already conned my friend Darlene into making me some A-line pull over your head type dresses. I want mine out of seersucker and I am going to put a big red flower on the bottom front and some white ric rac. I love ric rac! I had dresses like this as a child and I really want some. I may buy some gingham as well. The possibilities are endless. I also want to make tote bags. Yes, I know I have too many ideas and not enough time. I think I am channeling my inner Martha.

Ripped out the flipping hat

So, as you can see, I ripped it out and have started over!! Boo Hiss!! But it appears to be striping, so we will see. School is keeping me kinda busy, so that is why I haven't posted in a couple of days. I of course have started a new project, a dishtowel, just to take the edge off of ripping this hat out that was almost finished. It is Friday, so hopefully I will get both the hat completed and make a couple of dishtowels. Ok, off to run a couple of miles. I will update on my progress as the weekend progresses.

First Time Blog Jitters

Hi! I am new to the blog scene, but here goes. Today I am working on a baby hat for my friend Stephanie. I am not happy with it, it is not striping like it is suppose to, so now what? I really hate to start over, but.... I made one a couple of months ago out of the same yarn except it was pink, and the stripes worked, although I think I only cast on 64 stitches, this time I cast on 70. I kinda thougth that 64 was too small for a baby head. My son thinks it looks cool, but I kinda hate it. Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated!